Cell Block Stories
by Ariaprincess
Summary: They killed off their lovers. And now they're ready to say why. Rated T because I'm paranoid, and mentioned character death. Only half of your favorite characters, because the others are dead, yay!
1. Chapter 1

"Ivan Braginski, do you plead innocent or guilty?"

Ivan smiled his childish smile and giggled, "I plead innocent."

"In that case, we sentence you to ten years in prison." The sound of the gavel on the table rang in Ivan's ears as he was lead back to his filthy cell block. The guard threw him inside, no small feat because of his size, and slid the door shut. Ivan sighed, and went back to drawing sunflowers in the dirt.

"Hello."

Ivan flinched. "D-da?"

"I said hello. What are you, thick?"

"O-oh. Hello."

"What's your name?"

"I-Ivan."

The speaker had a British accent, and sounded irritable. "I'm Arthur. What are you in for?"

"V-voluntary manslaughter."

"Same." Arthur gave a dry laugh, then yelled to the rest of the cell block. "Anybody else in for manslaughter?"

"Si!"

"Yeah!"

"Me too!"

"I as well."

Arthur smiled bitterly. "I guess this block is where the bad kids hang out, hm?"

"Da."

"Well, who was it?"

"I am sorry?"

"Your victim. Who was it?"

"My boyfriend, Alfred."

Arthur whistled. "Why?"

Ivan smiled. "Well, he was very annoying. He had a habit of chewing gum, no, not chewing. More like..." Ivan searched his brain for the word.

"..popping. So, he was popping his gum in my face, and I said, 'If you do that one more time, I will smack your face in with my pipe.' And he laughed at me, and said, 'Sure.'" And he did it again, so I smacked his face in with my pipe."

"I see." Arthur looked nervous.

"He deserved it." Ivan said cheerfully. Arthur shivered, and there was a sound of retreating footsteps.

"We have recess tomorrow. Want to talk then?" "Da. Sounds good."

There was a few moments of silence, then, "You won't smash my bloody head in with a pipe, right?"

"No, comrade Arthur."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

 _ **Wow, short chapter is short! This is based off of the Hetalia version of the song "Cell Block Tango." Most killings will be from either me or that song, but if you have any requests, please tell me!**_


	2. Chapter 2

"W-wow. You are...tall." Ivan stared down at the thick-eyebrowed man before him. "Da, people used to tease me because of that. They didn't tease long, though." He cracked his knuckles, and Arthur swallowed. "Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine?" He coughed into his hand. "So, do you want to meet the others? All the naughty boys and girls are kept in this part of the yard."

"Da."

Arthur led him over to a group of people playing cards. Sure enough, they were fenced in from the rest of the yard.

"This is Antonio, Matthew, Roderich, and Ludwig." Antonio winked at him and let out a non-committal, " _Buenos dias_." Matthew smiled weakly. Roderich just sniffed and threw down the eight of clubs. Ludwig avoided his gaze and muttered, " _Guten morgen_."

 _How are all these people in for manslaughter?_

"So, everybody, this here is Ivan."

"Is he in for the same reason?"

"Now, Antonio, you know that they don't let just _anybody_ into Cell Block D." Roderich wagged a disapproving finger jokingly. "It's rather exclusive."

"Yep, you have to have killed at least one individual during your lifespan. Also, you have to be insane, potentially dangerous, and not safe to be around 'normal people'." Arthur counted off the requirements on his fingertips.

"Just one?" Antonio laughed. Ludwig smiled. "Now now, Antonio, you've only killed one person. We've all only killed one person." Arthur winked at him.

"Who _did_ you kill, Ludwig? I don't believe we've heard." Arthur made a big show of leaning in closer. Ludwig flushed.

"My b-boyfriend." Arthur laughed. "Has everybody here killed their significant other?"

Hands went up. Ivan swallowed, then raised his own.

"Lovely. Now spill, _mi amigo."_ Antonio smiled. Ludwig swallowed, then began.

"He drove me _crazy._ He was always happy, always optimistic. He could never take anything seriously! He never exercised, never did anything for me, I was putting all the work into the relationship, and he never returned anything. And the _pasta._ Every day, every night, pasta, pasta, pasta! It was all we ate, and he never cooked anything else. I just...snapped."

Ludwig wiped his brow.

"...And so did his neck."

England clapped sarcastically.

"Well, bravo. Seems you're not the _only_ sane person here. You're insane too."

Ludwig buried his head in his hands. "He had it coming."

"So did all of them, no? Especially my little Lovi." Antonio cooed. Arthur raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Do tell."

Antonio smiled, and tossed in a card. "He was always so cute and faithful, but he had a dreadful case of potty mouth. He was always cursing, and we fought quite a lot. Eventually, I had to wash his mouth out with soap."

Antonio smiled fondly at the memory.

"Although, in foresight...using the washing machine probably wasn't a good idea."

Ivan was slightly shocked. This happy man had been strong enough to shove somebody into a washing machine.

 _Hm. At least I know I'll fit in here._

 _ **Yay! We now have a cause of death for two more people! Poor Italy and Romano; my heart bleeds for them...though they're the ones bleeding at this point. R and R please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Admin: Hm, I guess I better go update Cell Block Stories-WHOA BACK UP THE TRUCK HOW MANY FOLLOWERS DOES THIS HAVE?**

 **Five is a good number... I think. And now I actually have to add a plot and stuff.. groan**

 **With thanks to** InsideMyBrain **and A Broken Imagi-NATION for reviewing~**

"So, Ivan, do you think you'll learn how to survive in this hellhole?" Arthur jabbed an unidentifiable lump of meat with his spork, the edges dulled so that the inmates didn't use it as a weapon.

"Da. I like your companions. They are funny." Ivan popped an overstewed clump of green vegetable in his mouth and chewed.

"Yeah, I don't know why they have to isolate us like this. I mean, we aren't _that_ insane." Arthur lowered his eyes.

"Besides, the _really_ insane ones are kept in Cell Block F." He twirled his finger next to his ear. "Rumor has it, they killed a lot more than just one person. They're actually killers, not like us."

Ivan smiled. "I would like to meet these people, da?" Arthur chuckled weakly. "I'm not sure, but I think Cell Block F is only a little ways down."

"Does anybody know how to make lockpicks?"

"Toni. Keep your spork."

"Da. See you tonight."

...

"Over here!" A cheerful voice rang out in the middle of the night. "I have your freedom!"

"Ssh! Are you mad? You know the punishment for sneaking out!"

"Oops. _Lo siento."_

There was a jiggling sound, then a _click,_ and the sound of a door swinging open.

"Okay, do Ivan's now."

Antonio giggled. "Sure, Arthur."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you bloody wanker."

"My mind's too far gone, it's in the basement now. Or maybe Hell." Toni giggled as he picked the lock to Ivan's cell. The door swung open, and Toni stood there, beckoning.

"Well, you want to meet the _demente chicos, si?"_

"Da."

Ivan tiptoed out of the cell to see Arthur standing there.

"Come on. It's down these hallways."

The prison had a lot of hallways, so after a couple of wrong turns, they finally made their way to the armored door of Cell Block F.

"Do you think you'll be able to pick the lock on this one?"

" _Si!_ There has never been a lock that I can't pick. Except for Lovi's bedroom lock. That one was impossible!"

"That was a key code, Toni."

"Whatever!" Toni whispered as he jammed the spork into the lock, twisting it around until the lock _clicked_ and the door swung open.

"Toni, you stay on the outside in case we need to get out. You can hide in the shadows, right?"

"Yeah!" Toni smiled as he ushered the two fugitives into the mysterious room.

...

The room was not what they expected. It was warm and comforting, and furnished like a child's nursery. The walls were padded, and the floor is plush. There were discarded books and toys everywhere, and a doorway leading to what looks like a dorm was on the right side of the room. The lights were bright, almost blinding, compared to the rest of the dank prison.

"Oh, dear! It looks like we have some naughty little children who have stumbled down the wrong path!" A manic giggle was heard from behind them. Arthur whipped around to see a blond man with blue eyes wearing a pair of flannel pajamas.. He was smiling madly, but otherwise he looked normal.

"W-who're you?"

The man paused to think for a few seconds, before replying, "They used to call me Oliver. Yes, Oliver."

"Who else is here?"

"I am here." A cold voice joined the conversation, full of sarcastic humor and scorn. "I'm Luciano, and I regret your choice of coming here."

The blond man pouted. "Oh, Luci, you're always so _boring._ Can't we play with them first, just a little?"

"Oliver, stop acting like a first-grader! You're a grown man stuck in a mental asylum! Can't you act your age?"

"Oh, but there's no weapons here!" Oliver giggled, and there was a slapping sound. The other man finally moved into view, shoving the blonde man over. He had auburn hair and violet eyes, and he was also wearing a pair of flannel pajamas. The blonde pouted. "Don't touch me, poppet. We may not have weapons, but I still keep my nails sharp."

"H-hey. Have you seen my baseball bat?" Ivan felt a tug on the orange jumpsuit he was forced to wear. Another man with tanned skin and brown hair was standing next to him. He was slightly shorter than Alfred, but he had a look of a lost puppy on his face.

"I'm sorry?"

"My baseball bat. They took it away from me and I can't find it!" The man wailed.

"Allen, go back to bed. You can find it in the morning." Oliver quickly ran to the man's side and ushered him back to the dorms. A look of anger passed over the man's face, but Oliver quickly added, "And then we can murder some innocent civilians, okay?" The man nodded wildly and stumbled back to the dorms, mumbling to himself and smiling.

"HAHAHA! How lucky I am, the hero!" He laughed maniacally. Oliver patted his back and soothed him. "Yes, yes, now you go back to bed." Allen walked through the doorway, and Oliver sighed.

"Poor thing. It's so grating to have to keep taking care of him. And especially with what he had to go through too." He murmured.

"What happened to him?"

"Killed his lover, you know." Ivan exchanged a glance with Arthur. This was already sounding too familiar. "He had... problems, and his lover was with him all along. But Allen got afraid, and paranoid. He was convinced Kuro was trying to kill him, so when visiting hours started, Allen took his neck in both hands and strangled him." Oliver whispered. "Poor soul." Ivan shuddered.

"So, what, is this some kind of special prison for people who've killed off their lovers or something?"

"I guess so. But it's also for special people, like us!" Oliver giggled.

"Cut the crap, Oliver. They know why we're here. _I_ know why I'm here." Luciano smiled, and wetted his lips slightly.

"Look, we have to go now" Arthur backed toward the door. Oliver fixated him with a look of longing.

"Will you come back to play with us tomorrow? Oh, please say yes!" He pleaded.

"Alright." Arthur nodded. "See you tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**HOLY GRANDPA ROME I HAVE SO MANY FOLLOWERS AND REVIEWS ON THIS THING THANK YOU!**

 **Oliver: Oh dear, I think she's having a panic attack. Poppet, please stop spazzing out.**

 **Me: DFGHJKPKIUYUTRSTDFCGBHJNKLJILYUITUDYRCF *squiggly spasms***

"Recess!"

Ivan waited patiently as the guards unlocked the cuffs that encircled his ankles.

"I don't know why this is necessary. I'm not that dangerous, da?"

"You're a killer." The guard stated simply. "And killers are dangerous. End. Of. Story." The cuffs sprang free, the guard forced Ivan's arms behind his back, and marched him towards the small cement courtyard.

"Oh, hello, _Ivan."_ Roderich sneered as the six foot tall man was pushed free.

"Good morning, Meester Roderich. How are you?"

"Fine as one can get while living in this disgusting cesspool of a place."

"Did you bring the cards?"

"Ja." Roderich spilled the pack of cards onto the table and dealt each of them a hand. They played Go Fish for a few minutes before Arthur, Antonio, and Ludwig arrived.

" _Buenos Dias,_ Ivan!" Antonio sat down next to the inmate and hugged him. "What are we playing?"

"Hello, Antonio. We are playing Go Get the Fish."

"Actually, I think it's just Go Fish."

"Okay." Roderich dealt him some cards and they began again.

"So, Roderich, I can't help but be a little curious..." Arthur sat down unexpectedly beside Ivan, who just nodded.

"Who did you kill?" Roderich smiled slightly.

"My lover, a _lovely_ woman named Elizaveta." He pushed his glasses farther up on his nose.

"What was she like?" A quiet voice popped up next to Ludwig, who had also just arrived.

"Ah! Matthew! Where did you come from?"

"I was here the whole time." Matthew said sadly. Roderich coughed ever-so-subtly into his hand.

" _Ahem._ Anyway, she was a lovely woman, very kind and caring, but she did have one guilty pleasure."

He lowered his voice and whispered the dreaded words, all of them straining to listen.

" _Boys love."_

All of them were startled by this. They were expecting something like alcohol, or drugs. Roderich shuddered, and continued.

"She was a big fan of hentai manga and that kind of thing, and she would disappear into the basement for hours on end. I began to get a little suspicious. I followed her down one night, and she..and she..."

He swallowed. "She was _writing it about me and my friend Vash."_

Everyone recoiled. That was, admittedly, disgusting.

"She had written a lot, judging by the folders lining the walls. I just got so angry... I blacked out."

Roderich grimaced, and continued.

"It was only when I noticed the droplets of blood staining her favorite issues that I began to realize what I had done. That, and the police sirens."

He smiled a little, but then stopped when he saw the way the other's looked at him.

"It wasn't my fault! It was a perfectly good reason!" He focused on shuffling the cards and did not look up. Antonio managed a weak, " _Lo siento._ " before awkwardly looking at his knees. Ivan just smiled.

"I really did love her..." Roderich managed to choke out. A lone tear ran down his face, and he buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, boo-fucking-who, Edelstein. Get your sorry ass up here so we can cuff you."


	5. Chapter 5

Roderich stood up pitifully and placed his arms behind his back. Two heavy iron cuffs were snapped over his wrists and locked in place.

"You too, Braginski. Carriedo. Jones. Kirkland." The guard addressed each of them in turn before glaring at Ludwig. "Beilschmidt." Ludwig just sighed as the cuffs were locked around his wrists.

"Say, I have been hearing about the people in Cell Block F. Why do you keep them cooped up all the time?"

"Because, something is dreadfully wrong with those lunatics." The guard snarled, as he marched Ivan toward his Cell Block.

"Yes, but I was psychological doctor before this," Ivan said quickly, making something up on the spot, "And keeping the people cooped up all the time just makes the situation worse, da?" The guard thought about this.

"I guess I can clear it with the doctor here, but this conversation never happened, understood? It was all my idea." The guard spluttered as he shoved Ivan into his cell. Ivan just smiled and murmured, "Da, da, understood."

As the guard turned away, Ivan muttered to himself, "I cannot wait until I get out of this hellhole so I can break all the bones of all of the guards here, then dissolve their faces in acid and kick them out into the snow."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

...

"Nice of you to get the loonies out in the fresh air." Arthur shuddered as a lump of indescribable slop was dumped on his plastic lunch tray. Ivan raised an eyebrow. "I wanted more information." Muck was dumped on his own tray, and they both went to grab some brown-spotted fruit and stale biscuits (which were the most edible thing on the menu). Sliding next to Toni and Ludwig, Ivan started with his mushy banana. It was sweet, surprisingly, but disgustingly mushy. "Ugh, they need to start a petition to get better food." Arthur grimaced. "It's not like it's any better than your cooking." Toni giggled, and Arthur scowled. "My cooking is most certainly better than this mush." "Well, at least this doesn't give us food poisoning." Matthew mumbled. Arthur's scowl grew deeper, and Matthew blushed.

"So, Matthew, why are you in the slammer? You don't look like the type..." Ludwig tried to stab a piece of...meat, probably, with his fork. Matthew's blush deepened in shade and he managed to stutter, "My b-boyfriend was acting up."

"Ah, like the rest of us? Do tell." Arthur spooned another mouthful of slop into his mouth.

"W-well, he was always parading around, acting like he was the best person on earth. He was always saying he was awesome, and he always f-forgot about me. He flirted with almost every pretty girl he saw, and it was like I didn't even exist." Matthew paused for another mouthful of something resembling yogurt. "So, finally, I couldn't take it anymore. There had to be some kind of way for us to bond, so I challenged him to a game of hockey, because, well, hockey. After he scored around, um, three goals, he started up with the whole 'I am awesome' thing. I just...I saw red, I really did. I got out my hockey stick and finished our game." Matthew's face was now a deep maroon.

"W-with his head as the puck."

He looked up, shakily, to see everyone staring at him in horror. He hurriedly stuffed another spoonful of yogurt in his mouth and slunk down in his seat. Arthur was the first to speak.

"B-bloody hell, Matthew. I didn't think you had it in you."

"N-neither did I." Matthew stuttered.

"It's almost like-"

"Helloooo, everyone!" They were interrupted by a stocky young male crashing into the bench next to Ivan, who jumped.

"Oh, yay." Arthur grimaced. "The lunatics have arrived."

...

Oliver dealt the cards that day.

He was surprisingly good at shuffling, moving the cards through his fingers and dealing them out before anyone could blink. There were four of them out today, Oliver, Luciano, Allen, and a small boy Oliver introduced as Ruslan. He didn't say anything, and mostly glared at them all as they played. Allen sat in the corner next to Oliver, hugging onto a small teddy bear and mumbling to himself.

"So, I hear there's supposed to be a new guy coming in tomorrow." Oliver chirped as he played his hand. Ludwig simply stared at the perky blonde.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, around." Oliver said vaguely. He tossed out a card and avoided their gazes as he removed Allen's teddy bear from his mouth.

"No, no, Allen. We don't eat our toys."

"B-but I waaaaana eat it." Allen grasped for the small bear, but Oliver held it out of reach.

"Promise?"

"Alright." Allen pouted and grabbed the small animal.

"So, Arthur, you've heard all of our stories, now it's time to hear yours. Spill." Ivan smiled amiably at Arthur, though the smile had ice to it, and Arthur swallowed before whispering.

"All right, I will then, if you're so eager." His face grew bitter.

"So, I had my boyfriend, yes? Francis Bonnefoy. We had a good relationship, for a while, walks on the beach, fancy dinners, all that good stuff, and of course..."

He coughed into his hand.

"Anyway, so one day I'm talking to a friend I haven't seen in a while, and he starts describing his boyfriend. He seems like a nice chap, so I ask his name, and guess who he says? Of course, it's Francis-Fucking-Bonnefoy. So, I do a bit of investigating, and it turns out this wanker has six boyfriends, and three girlfriends."

Arthur pauses to throw out a few choice phrases in weird British slang before continuing.

"So, like normal, he gets home, I fix him a drink, as usual."

Arthur sighs. "I guess some guys just can't hold their arsenic."

 **Thank you for such positive reviews and all the followers and favorites!**


	6. Chapter 6

**HOLY GRANDPA ROME AGAIN SERIOUSLY THIS IS AWESOME! Thank you all for the favorites and follows, it makes me happy af.** ** _Thanks to A Broken Imagi-NATION for the idea! She is truly amazing..._**

Oliver smiled at the Brit, showing a small pointy incisor. "Hmm, and here was me thinking you didn't have a single drop of venomous blood in you."

"Hmm, the blood running through _my_ veins is more like mud then venom." Arthur shot back, _slightly_ pissed.

"I guess.. I understand why a guy would go for you, you have a fiery temper, little sheep." Oliver teased.

"Leave me alone, you blue-eyed freak of nature." Arthur swatted at the blonde's hand.

They were about to erupt into a fight when a small voice whispered something that made them stop in their tracks.

"Did you love him?"

Arthur looked over at Matthew, who shook his head and pointed at Ruslan, the small boy who hadn't even uttered a single word since they entered the concrete play-yard. He shot Arthur a look that clearly meant, _well, you heard me. Answer the damn question!_

Arthur swallowed, and nodded. "Yes. Very, very much."

"Did he love you?"

England's eyes cast downward, brimming with crystal tears.

"I wouldn't know, would I?"

A loud alarm broke the feels party up abruptly, red sirens blaring and flashing and spinning.

"W-what's going on?" Ivan covered his head and tucked his knees to his chest. The others just calmly stood up, formed a line, and headed to the door.

"New guy." Arthur tapped him on the shoulder, urging him to stand. Ivan did so, and they filed into the large grey building.

"Why do they make us watch the trial?" Ivan whispered to Arthur, remembering the walls of orange clad prisoners who had watched him dutifully during his own.

"No idea. I guess it's just custom." Arthur hissed back.

They slipped into two seats once in the courtroom and waited for them to bring in the unlucky victim.

"Oh my, he doesn't look the type." Gasped Arthur as the new guy was led to the podium, his eyes cast downward. He had light blonde hair and a slight frame, his orange jumpsuit hanging off of his skinny body. If you looked closer, Ivan was sure you could count his ribs. They couldn't see the color of his eyes, but he was wearing a small white hat. Ivan has no idea how they had let it through security, but he didn't mind. He missed his own scarf terribly. Pulling at his collar, he tried to recall the feeling of the warm material around his neck, the soft pink fabric, the small drops of blood that had stained it that fateful night...

The prisoner looked up then, and Ivan could see the beautiful purple shade of his irises. He looked so vulnerable, standing there, that Ivan felt a strong feeling of rage wash over him. He would protect this boy; he didn't deserve to be here any more than the rest of them did!

The small boy opened his mouth as if to say something, but the judge quickly interrupted him.

"Tino Väinämöinen, we are charging you with manslaughter and illegal possession of a weapon. How do you plead?"

The boy looked startled, then tried to speak again. What he said, none of them were expecting.

" _Miksi olen täällä? En tappanut ketään! He sanoivat, että tapoin Su-san, mutta en, vannon! Olen juuri piristyi aseen, ja sitten, ja sitten, enkä tiennyt mitä tapahtui seuraavaksi. Auttaisitko minua!"_

The judge looked puzzled. "In English?" The boy tugged at his collar.

"N-not guilt-ty!"

The judge bangs his gavel, the _thwack_ once again echoing across the silent courtroom.

"Ten years in prison."

The boy hung his head as he was lead away from the podium. As Ivan looked closer, he could see that his eyes were watering.

"C'mon, we've gotta welcome the new guy." Arthur tugged at Ivan's sleeve. "I-Ivan?"

" _Kolkolkolkolkolkolkol..."_ Ivan started muttering under his breath. Arthur backed up quick.

"U-uh.."

"I will go." Ivan stood up and marched out of the courtroom, purple with rage. Arthur followed, shaking slightly.

"Um, Ivan? Don't do anything too rash..." Arthur mumbled.

Ivan turned towards him and smiled, a smile like ice. "What are you meaning? I am the least rash person you know, da?" The smile suggested that any other answer would mean meeting up with Francois in Hell.

"Y-yes, Ivan."

Ivan headed back to the recess yard and tried to look for the small boy. Finally, he found him in a corner, quivering.

" _K-kuka sinä olet? Jätä m-minut rauhaan!"_ The boy stuttered, tears falling like rain. Ivan's smile grew softer, the ice melting slightly.

"Do you speak English," Ivan searched for the boys name in his short term memory, "Tino?"

" _Ymmärrän s-sen, m-mutta en puhu sitä."_ The boy mumbled.

"At least you understand it." Ivan sighed. "What is the word for yes in your language?"

" _K-kyllä."_

"And no?"

" _Ei."_

Ivan smiled, the ice gone from his smile. "Good. Now, do you think you're supposed to be here?"

" _Ei."_

"Did you kill anybody?"

" _Ei."_

"Who sent you here?"

" _Minä en tiedä."_ The boy sighed. He looked no more than fifteen, and he looked visibly shocked and more than a little scared.

"Do you know?" Ivan had no idea how to speak...Finnish, by the looks of it.

" _Ei."_

"Well, soon we'll be heading back to our cell block, and then dinner, and then you can sleep. Does that sound good?"

" _Ei. Haluan m-mennä kotiin. H-haluan Su-san."_ Tino started to cry again, and Ivan pulled him into a hug. The boy recoiled, screeching, " _Älä halata minua! Vain Su-san voi halata minua!"_ And he curled up into a ball on the ground. Ivan sat down beside him. Patted him on the back.

"I'm sorry." The boy scooted closer and leaned up against Ivan, but didn't hug him.

" _Haluan...h-haluan Su-san."_

 **Translations:**

" _Miksi olen täällä? En tappanut ketään! He sanoivat, että tapoin Su-san, mutta en, vannon! Olen juuri piristyi aseen, ja sitten, ja sitten, enkä tiennyt mitä tapahtui seuraavaksi. Auttaisitko minua!" = Why am I here? I didn't kill anyone! They said that I killed Su-san, but I didn't, I swear! I just picked up the gun, and then, and then, I didn't know what happened next. Please help me!_

" _K-kuka sinä olet? Jätä m-minut rauhaan!" = W_ _-who are you? Leave m-me alone!_

 _Ymmärrän s-sen, m-mutta en puhu sitä = I understand that, but I-I do not speak it._

 _Ei. Haluan m-mennä kotiin. H-haluan Su-san. =_ _No. I want to g-go home. I want Su-san._

 _Älä halata minua! Vain Su-san voi halata minua! =_ _Don't hug me! Only Su-san can hug me!_

 ** _I apologize for any translation errors, Google Translate sucks._**


	7. Chapter 7

**A rushed chapter. I just wanted to get this out... It's also kinda short... Thanks to PoisonLilie, pastaaddict, A Broken Imagi-NATION, DentedAluminum,** **zxcvbnm, topaz3, GrovyleAnime, Calistrophia, InsideMyBrain, BitterSweet Crazy, NinjaDanni (damn this list is getting long), Potterfan1990, Rebeckapuss, ScarletThePanda, ThatCrazyItalian, TrefleV, anime and yoai 4ever, eatpreywatchanime, .313, TheBlueQueen, chocolatemilkandlollipops, DarkSolQueen, and 56.** ***Deep breath* Okay, now on with the actual story!**

Ivan stared at the small boy in the cell across from his. He was curled up in a ball on the bed, shivering and whimpering. He looked miserable. Then again, he was only a child. He wasn't used to this kind of treatment.

"Tino, it is almost mealtime. You need to get dressed."

" _Kunnossa."_ Tino uncurled himself and went to go change out of his pajamas. They were beige, uniform, and extremely itchy. Ivan averted his eyes, as common courtesy, when the boy changed.

When the guard came to take them to the cafeteria, Ivan glared so ferociously at Tino's guard that he was scared enough to stay five feet away from the boy at all times. Unfortunately, Ivan's guard saw this action, and now Ivan was sitting in the cafeteria with an empty plate.

 _Big guy like you, missing one meal shouldn't hurt!_

Arthur, Antonio, Matthew, and Roderich slid in next to Ivan and began to eat, making aimless chatter. They were soon joined by Oliver, Luciano, and Ruslan, who were now allowed in the cafeteria and play-yard, "for rehabilitation purposes." Luciano smirked. "Rehabilitation my ass. It's more like they want to get rid of us for an hour."

Tino made his way to the table shakily, carrying his lunch tray with both hands. He sat down next to Ivan quietly. On his lunch tray, he had two bread rolls and a cup of banana yogurt. Without a word, he transferred both of the rolls onto Ivan's tray and opened his banana yogurt. Ivan just stared at the bread on his plate.

"Thank you. Are you sure just yogurt will be enough?"

"Y-yes _."_ Tino looked up at Ivan, and it was the first time Ivan had seen the boy smile.

"Hmm. If you say so." Ivan smiled, and bit into a piece of the stale roll. It required hard work in the jaw department, but Ivan didn't care.

"You know," Oliver remarked, biting into an apple, "You remind me of a girl in the psych ward. Quiet on the outside, but on the inside she's a cold-blooded killer."

"This boy is no killer." Ivan stared at Oliver, who just bit into the apple again.

"I hope she doesn't come out today. She's a freaky little thing. Totally obsessed with her 'big brother'." Luciano shuddered.

"Look." Ruslan said quietly, and pointed to the door at the back of the cafeteria.

"Dammit." Luciano swore, and poked Oliver. Oliver looked at the door in shock, and let out a small squeal.

"Oh, butterscotch."

Ivan and the others looked to where Ruslan was pointing, to what caused the cold-blooded killers such fear.

Standing there was a small girl wearing a pink dress, unusual, yet pretty. Her fluff of blond hair was tied back with a blue ribbon, and she wore small mary janes. She was smiling, and she was making a beeline straight for their table, black doll feet tip-tapping on the concrete floor. She slid in right next to Oliver and flashed a beaming smile.

"Good morning, Oliver! Luciano, Ruslan!"

Oliver tried to smile, but it was shaky and forced.

"G-good morning, L-Lili."

The others just stared. Ivan was expecting something more like his psychopathic little sister, Natalia. Matthew thought she was adorable. The others had mixed opinions. Ruslan... well, Ruslan thought a little differently.

"Good morning, Lili. How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you." Lili picked up a cracker from Roderich's tray and began to nibble it. Roderich's face turned purple, and he yelled, "Hey, that was mine!" Lili just stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

"You don't have the right to take other people's food! Especially if it's one of the only meals we'll get all day?"

Lili's smile dropped, and then Roderich was on the floor, with Lili's heel on his stomach. She must have been pressing down hard, because he was gasping for air. Lili leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"I get whatever I want. Okay?"

Roderich nodded, and Lili released him, skipping back to her seat. Oliver looked at Ivan, as if to say, _You see? I told you._

Lili just kept nibbling on the cracker, and once she had reduced it to crumbs, she leaned her head on Oliver's shoulder, causing the strawberry blonde to whimper.

"Lili..."

"Mmm." She said, snuggling into his side, "Not as comfy as big _bruder,_ but comfy enough."

"P-please.." Oliver looked almost pitiful. The scene was adorable, admittedly, but Oliver looked so uncomfortable it was all ruined. The others had to stifle giggles, but Oliver finally diverted Lili's attention to Luciano.

"W-why don't you go hang out with Luciano for a little bit, L-Lili?" Lili pouted, then went to go sit next to the uncomfortable Italian, cooing and stroking his hair. Luciano made a face at Oliver.

 _I'm going to murder your fucking face later, blue-eyed freak._

Oliver just smiled and finger waved at him, then hopped off the bench, made a hasty goodbye, and ran back to the safety of the psych ward.

...

"What was wrong with her?" Roderich shuddered as he sat down next to Arthur.

"Clearly she has some kind of mental deformity. It's just so obvious." Arthur replied, shuffling the deck of cards nonchalantly.

"I'm not so sure. She seems slightly...yandere." Matthew mumbled.

"Yan...dere?"

"It's a term Kiku taught me. It means obsessing over somebody you love and are willing to kill to keep them safe."

"Who's Kiku?" Iva wondered.

"Oh, just my friend. I'm just glad he didn't end up in here. He had a good life, boyfriend, house, all that good stuff." Matthew smiled at the memory. Arthur, however, looked like he was about to vomit.

"A-arthur?"

"Matthew, Kiku's dead."

 **I can no write good. Cliffhanger is cliffhanger.**


	8. Chapter 8: Beware of Feels

**Feels chapter train! Toot toot! Thanks for all the reviews and follows, they really make my day :3**

"W-what?" Matthew's eyes widened and he started sputtering.

"Yeah. He died around two months ago. Something about...being allergic to cats." Arthur thought for a few seconds. "Yeah. Allergic to cats." Matthew just hung his head in his hands.

"Why...? Of all people, why him?" Arthur patted Matthew on the back. "I'm so sorry. I really liked him, he was a great person."

"How could being allergic to cats kill you?" Ivan thought out loud.

"Well, a common reaction to allergies is your throat swelling up, and that's just one cat. Multiply that by about a thousand." Arthur explained. "At least, that's what I think."

"Ouch."

"It's a shame." Matthew sighed. "I'm gonna miss him. We made so many good memories together."

"I think everybody has some kind of favorite memory with their friends, or at least their lovers." Arthur sighed.

" _Si,_ I remember the time I gave Lovi a massage. He was so stressed." Antonio tutted as he reminisced.

" _Fuck this rain!" Lovi yelled as his umbrella got stuck in the doorway yet again. Toni ran to help his little tomate get out of the rain before he caught cold._ " _Bad day?"_ " _The worst." Lovi shook himself, spraying water all over the doormat. Toni helped him with his raincoat as he complained about all the bastards that had ruined his day. "...And finally, he threw me out of the goddamn restaurant for 'disturbing the peace.' Who the fuck does that?" Lovi finished, swearing like a sailor. "It must have been rough." Antonio soothed as he helped Lovi to the couch. He sank down into the piece of furniture before sneezing. "And now I've got a cold. Fan-fucking-tastic." Lovi swore. Antonio smiled. He placed his hands on Lovi's shoulders and applied pressure. "Toni? What the fuck are you doing?" Lovi cried. "Shh." Toni moved his hands in circles on Lovi's back, fingers kneading into the soft flesh there. "Is this better?" "Bastard, don't touch me." Lovi stiffened, but Antonio kept massaging the weary Italian, only stopping to rub his hands together to warm them. "You...tomato...bastard." Lovi tried to say angrily, but Antonio pressed his fingers into his neck, and he moaned a little before sinking deeper into the couch cushions. "You like it, si?" Antonio let a small smile slip as his hands moved downward to Lovi's ribs. "You are so dead when I get up." Lovi mumbled, slowly relaxing. "Mmhmm." Antonio pressed his lips to the top of Lovi's head before leaving to get a blanket, for, as hard as he tried not to, Lovi had fallen asleep._

"Wow, you and Lovi must have had some good times together." Arthur smiled. "I wish I could share mine."

"Why not?" Ivan wondered.

"Francis was a very... _intimate_ person." Arthur coughed. "But anyway, what about you, Luddy? You must have had _some_ kind of fluffy cute moments with Feli."

"Are you kidding? It was _Feli._ Pretty much all moments were fluffy and cute." He sighed. "Well, there was the one time when he needed a haircut..."

" _Luddy, please don't make me!" "You look like a sheepdog. It's long overdue." Luddy rummaged through his kitchen drawers to find a pair of scissors that wasn't stained red from cutting tomatoes. By the time he had managed to find a suitable pair, Feli was long gone. Ludwig sighed, then went to go look for the normally bubbly Italian. He searched the whole house, pausing to grab a comb from the bathroom (no Feli), looking in every crevice of every room, before discovering that Feli's room was locked. "Feli? Let me in." A small voice replied, "N-no." "I'm going to count to three, and if you don't open it I will break down the goddamn door." There was a small squeal, the lock clicked, and a small scurrying noise followed by a bump. "Owww..." Ludwig pushed the door open and tiptoed inside. "Come on out, Feli. It's just a haircut." No answer. Ludwig looked in the closet. No Italian. "Feli? I'm getting impatient..." Pulling up the bedspread, Ludwig saw Feli, cowering. "Feli..." Feli curled up tighter. 'Nuh-uh." Ludwig, finally losing his patience, shouted, "Mein gott, Feli! What makes you scared of having your hair cut!" Feli adjusted his position. "I-It's just... the last time I had it cut...they cut off my curl." Ludwig smiled. Of course. "Well, I promise I won't cut off your curl. Now come on." "Pinky promise?" "Pinky promise." Feli crawled out from under the bed, whimpering. Ludwig led him back to the kitchen, pulling out a chair with his leg. He set the scissors on the table before gesturing for Feli to sit. He ran the comb through the italian's auburn locks, avoiding the curl as much as possible. Feli, who had been extremely tense before, now began to relax, as the German had a surprisingly gentle touch when it came to this kind of thing. He was almost asleep when he heard the soft sound of the scissors. "L-Luddy... are you sure?" "I'm sure. Trust me." A snippet of chestnut hair fell to the ground, drifting softly and landing without a sound. More locks soon fell, as Feli began to relax a little more and Ludwig got into a sort of rhythm. "Luddy?" Snip. "Mmhmm?" Snip. "You're pretty good at this." Snip. "Thank you." Finally, when the floor was littered with brown hair, Ludwig announced, "I'm done." Feli slid out of the chair and went to hug Ludwig. "Thank you, Luddy!" He then ran to the bathroom to look at...no, admire, himself in the mirror, his curl bouncing as he went._

Ivan smiled. "How adorable." Ludwig frowned. "What about you, Mister _No Feelings Ever_ , didn't you ever have some cute moments with _Alfred?_ " Ivan nodded. "Da, we did."

 _Ivan is lounging on the couch, reading a book, when he feels something slam into his stomach. "Surprise hero tickle attack!" Ivan feels his stomach area tingle, and he shrieks. "No, Alfred, you are not allowed to-" "Too bad, the hero does what he likes!" More tingles, and Ivan rolls off the couch and onto the floor, taking Alfred with him. "Hmm, the tables have been turned, da?" And Ivan lunges for the hero's stomach, tickling him viciously. Alfred thrashes around like a dying fish, giggling like a maniac. "Dude, stoppit, you're killing me!" "No I am not, I am merely tickling you." Alfred grabs Ivan's shoulders and attempts to roll him over, but gives up and goes for behind the knee. Ivan jumps in surprise as the back of his knee starts to tingle. "D-dammit!" Ivan turns around and grabs Alfred by the waist, pulling him close for a cuddle. "Let me go!" "Uh-uh, not until you kiss me." Alfred sighs, then grabs Ivan's chin and pulls him in for a kiss. "Mmm, okay." Ivan releases Alfred, who smiles before standing up and extending his hand to Ivan. "C'mon, we've gotta go make dinner." Ivan takes his hand, but his weight is too much for Alfred to lift, and they both fall down again, laughing._

Ivan smiles at the memory. "That was a good day." Roderich opens his mouth, but the bell rings, and they are led back to the inside of the prison for another day in the dark, dank confines of their cells.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, everyone reading this! Thank you so much for the reviews and support, I couldn't have done it without you all :3**

 **Warning: Domestic abuse TW**

 **Also Warning: I do not own Hetalia, though it would be AWESOEM if I did (FrUK, Spamano, SuFin...they all would be canon... *evil laughter*)**

...

 _Gilbert, I miss you. I'm so sorry... I didn't know what I was doing..._

 _..._

 _Matthew watches with fury as Gilbert manages to accidentally knock Matthew's hockey stick, causing the Canadian to score an own goal._

" _Gooooooal! I am the greatest!" Gilbert does a victory lap around the ice. Matthew grits his teeth and claps, hockey stick tucked under one arm._

" _And they said you were supposed to be good at hockey!" Gilbert grins as he slams into Matthew; he still hasn't mastered stopping yet._

" _I am." Matthew says, trying not to get angry with his boasting boyfriend._

" _But it's three-zero! Clearly, I have won this match already." Gilbert preens. Matthew's breathing quickens, he starts fingering his hockey stick. "It's just a game, it's just a game." He tells himself, trying to slow his pulse._

" _I am the most awesome hockey player ever!" Gilbert smiles at Matthew, as if expecting congratulations._

" _I mean, it's only natural that a lame little birdie like you would lose to the awesome me!" Gilbert tries to jump on the ice, but falls._

" _Hey, Mattie, help me up!"_

 _Instead of helping him, Matthew places one heavy ice skate down on Prussia's chest, the sharp blade digging into his stomach._

" _Eh? Mattie?"_

 _Matthew smiles, and flips his hockey stick around, the back end sharpened to a dangerous point._

" _Come on, Gillie." Matthew coos. "The awesome you can surely get out of this situation, right?"_

 _Ssssssnap._

 _Matthew hears his neck break, the bone there splintered by the force of the blow and the sharpness of the blade. Red liquid splays across the ice. Matthew gently nudges the severed head away from the body, and shoots it with expert precision into the goal 20 feet away._

" _Goal." Matthew says to himself, and smiles._

 _..._

Oliver folds the end of the sheet over Allen's neck, crooning to the man. "It's nap time, Allen, lamb, sleepy time." Allen giggled, and snuggled into the bedspread. "Night night, Ollie." "Goodnight, Allen." Oliver smiled at him, before switching off the dorm light and heading back into the playroom. Once there, he collapsed into a large, overstuffed armchair and sighed.

"Good grief, he's a handful." Luci smirked. "He seems to have taken to you." "I know." Oliver huffed. "I miss Francois."

"How could you miss that _idiota?"_ Luciano swore. "He was rude, he had a drinking problem, and he smoked too much."

"I know." Oliver was too tired to argue. "He also... well, I won't speak of it."

"Too late, you've brought it up, spill, _now."_ Luciano smiled cruelly. Oliver sighed, turned around, and loosened the buttons on his pink striped pajamas. Sliding the shirt off, Luciano could see red marks, wounds that hadn't healed, ugly bruises. Luciano gasped. He loved torture, but this...this was different.

"He-"

"Yep." Oliver slid the shirt back on.

"But that's-"

"Domestic violence?" Oliver said bitterly. "Right in one." He sighed. "I should have just brought it to the authorities, I shouldn't have baked him cupcakes..." He murmured to himself. "What's wrong with cupcakes?"

"Hmm? Oh, cupcakes can be pretty lethal when laced with a triple shot of cyanide."

Luciano just stared. "And you _miss_ him?"

"He could be pretty charming if he wanted to be. Of course, he never really wanted to be."

Luci smirked. "Maybe that's why you're still a virgin potato."

"T-that's not my fault!" Oliver spluttered, eyes wide. Then, hands on hips, he replied, "Maybe I _like_ being a virgin potato."

"Eh, you would have wanted to fuck Lutz, he-" Luciano started, but Oliver put a finger to his lips and gestured to the dorm room, where Allen was stirring.

" _Ahem,_ aside from the virgin potato conversation," Oliver blushed, "How was your relationship with Lutz?"

"Pretty good, aside from when I found out he was _cheating._ " Luciano hissed. Oliver smiled. So he _wasn't_ the only one with relationship problems.

"With who?"

"Little brat called Roland. Flamboyant, idiotic, and obsessed with makeup. Kind of like my _fratello,_ but a lot more rude." Luciano snarled. "Well, thank my lucky stars that Flavio isn't here. That's the one thing I like about this prison."

Oliver snickered. Luciano looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"O-oh, nothing, it's just that we're getting a new guy today, and his name just happens to be-"

The door was thrown open, and a man with blonde hair who was protesting loudly was shoved into the room.

"Hey hey hey, watch the curl! Ugh, this scarf is positively _ruined!_ Dirty pigs."

Brushing himself off, he noticed Luciano, who was staring at him with a look of horror on his face.

" _Fratello!_ I'm so glaaaad to see you! Oh, this is _such_ a coincidence!" Cue overenthusiastic tackle glomp.

"...Flavio." Oliver finished.


	10. Chapter 10

**HOLY GRANDPA ROME! I have so many followers and reviews and stuff, thank you all, I love you guys and paaaaastaaa~!**

"Oh, fratello! It is so good to seeeee you! I thought I was going to be all alooooone here!" Shrieked the happy Italian, planting kisses on both Luciano's cheeks and acting like a child discovering a long lost friend at summer camp.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Luciano asked, through clenched teeth.

Flavio huffed. "Everybody in that police station made such a big deal out of it! They acted like drugging my _adorable_ little doll Andres and dressing him up was such an important matter! Something about 'watching me for a while' and they diagnosed me with some kind of mental illness I can't remember." He rolled his eyes. "Apparently I'm 'dangerous' or something."

"Can't imagine why." Luciano scowled. Flavi had moved on since then and was now smothering Oliver in an over enthusiastic hug.

"Ollie! Oh, you're here too! Fantastic!"

"Good to see you here, Flavio." Oliver smiled warmly up at the bubbly man, who squealed and pressed his cheek to Oliver's.

"Oh, we're going to have so much _fun_ together!"

Oliver smiled weakly in return. "Y-Yay..." Flavio gave him one final kiss and pulled himself away, fixing his attention on the other italian, who swore and relented to the blonde's gaze.

"Goodness, _fratello,_ you're simply _wasting_ away. Do they not give you enough to eat here? And those pajamas, _oh my god,_ pastel blue is _not_ your color." Flavio made a clucking noise with his tongue. "Thank _god_ they didn't make me wear that, I could have _died!"_ He placed both palms steadily on Luciano's shoulders. "Mm, at least they keep you clean here." He fingered one of Luciano's split ends before having his hand slapped away.

"D-don't touch me, _idiota!_ Your hands are dangerous!" Luciano's face flushed and he pushed away from his brother. Flavio just chuckled and pecked him on the top of the head again.

"Well, now that we're all together again, this is going to be a real _party!"_

"Whoop-de-fucking-woo." Luciano grumbled. Oliver just whispered something about needing to check on Allen and dashed off. With nobody else in the room, Flavio started making his way over to Luciano, still smiling amiably. With one strong arm, Flavio pulled Luciano to his chest, cheek to cheek.

"Well, _fratello of mine,_ now we're alone, aren't we?" Flavio murmured into Luciano's ear.

"Go away, play with a pillow or something." Luciano tried to pull away, but Flavio just clutched him tighter.

"Do you really not have any thought to the consequence of your actions?" Flavio purred, stroking one gloved finger down the other side of Luciano's cheek.

"I don't want to talk about that day. Did you want me to die?" Luciano hissed back, uncomfortable with such close contact.

"Mm, but you could have at least tried to defend me, instead of running away like a cowardly kitten." The blonde fingered with the other's curl, causing him to shudder. This caused a small chuckle.

"But that's really all you are, aren't you? A small, cowardly kitty testing out his claws on his owner's designer curtains." Luciano didn't like where this was going, "But what happens when the owner finds out?" The brunette felt sharp claws digging into his shoulder blades. "The small troublemaker must be punished, _si?"_ The pressure increased, and Luciano let out a small squeal before elbowing him in the stomach. "You belong to _me, piccolo fratello."_ Flavio hissed, massaging his stomach. Luciano stomped back to the dorms, Flavio calling after him.

"It was nice to talk to you again, _fratello!_ " Luciano turned around to see his brother fingering with his scarf, smirking.

"I can't _wait_ to spend the next couple of years together! It's going to be so _fuuuuun!"_

Oliver appeared next to him, smiling. "Well, he seems okay."

"You have _no idea."_ Luciano seethed.

...

Luciano later found out that Flavio was to be one of the first to undergo therapy via recreational activity. After being given a list, Flavio had picked (of fucking course) fashion design. Every day, he would sit in the corner, staring at Luciano and Oliver, as well as Ruslan and Allen, sketching with his colored pencils and giggling like a maniac. When they were given the list of activities, Luciano had settled for Still Life drawing, while Oliver had at first chosen baking. The next day, he was back in a straightjacket, smile wider than Luciano had ever seen it. He later discovered that Oliver was to make an almond sponge cake, but he had (somehow, don't ask me) extracted the cyanide compound contained in the almonds to make the cake fatal. Oliver was not allowed back in the kitchen anymore.

...

Roderich tossed and turned in his sleep that night, muttering to himself.

" _N-no, Elizaveta, please! I didn't...I didn't know what I was doing! I had blacked out, that wasn't me! Please, please, forgive me!"_

 _Elizaveta grins at the small helpless man on the ground, chasing him with the iron heel of her boot._

" _Run, little mouse, run!" The woman coos, as she kicks up more dirt with her boot. The man coughs, the dust getting into his eyes and lungs. It burns him, making him splutter, burning like acid down his throat. It corrodes the skin there, damaging his esophagus. He tries to speak, but all that comes out is a croak._

" _Not fast enough, I see, my little Roddy." The woman leans down, her smiling face twisted, the flesh warped and her smile blown out of proportion. She leans down, as if to pat him on the head, but instead she smacks him across the face, leaving a red mark shaped like her hand._

" _How cute! You're shaking like a leaf!" She picks him up by the shoulders, her fingers digging into his armpits. Setting him down, she kisses him gently on the nose. The spot where the kiss was placed grows warm, and Roderich sighs contentedly. But the warm feeling grows hotter and hotter, burning and smoldering as flames lick across his scalp and play over his boots. He wails as the flames consume him, the imprint of her smile burning into a smoky afterimage._

Roderich sat up, panting and shivering. Looking out the window, he saw the sun was just beginning to rise. Running a hand through his hair, he slid back down into the sheets, his head hitting the pillow with a soft _fwoosh._

Nightmares. The first time in months.

...

Arthur, to the contrary, sighed in his sleep, remembering his favorite memory of the beautiful blonde man.

* _This part of the story has been removed for explicit content*_

 _..._

Ivan yawned as he woke to the sun in his face, the sunbeams playing over his cheeks and bringing out the platinum shine in his hair. Yawning, he slid out of bed and began to get changed into the standard orange uniform. It had to be custom made, seeing as they didn't stock uniforms big enough for the Russian.

"Good morning, comrade Arthur!" He called cheerily to the next cell over. In response, a groan.

"Oh, is comrade Arthur not a morning person?"

"Mmhmm. You bloody woke me up. Now I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep." He heard the British gentleman grumble. Ivan just ignored this statement and chirped, "Well, I heard that today we get a special treat, for being good little boys and girls, da?" "Really? What?" "Coffee!" "Coffee? Bloody hell, we must have been _really_ good!" Ivan heard a thump from the next cell over, and assumed that Arthur was now out of bed.

"Is there any reason for you two waking us up five minutes earlier than usual?" An accented voice commented from a few cells down.

"Oh, is Ludwig not a fan of coffee?" Ivan wondered.

"Coffee? Okay, who bribed the cook?" There were a few more thumps, and soon the whole cell block was getting dressed and waiting for the guards to come take them to breakfast.

"I still think one of you bribed the cook."

...

Ivan accepted the steaming mug with an amiable smile and took the bland cereal and orange chemical water they were offered before sitting down at the nearest table. Ludwig was already there, sipping from his lemon yellow cup with gusto.

"Don't just gulp it down, this is our last source of caffeine for three months!" Arthur cried, who was slowly savoring the treat. He took another gulp before frowning. "God, this muck is vile. They could at least get some decent tea."

It was true. The coffee was greyish brown, foamy, and it tasted bitter, like some sort of plant root had been ground up and mixed with mud. But it was coffee, and they would take any they could get at the moment.

Ivan sipped at the brew, regretting the fact that he didn't have any of his favorite treat to make it taste better. He glanced at Matthew, who was clearly thinking the same.

"This would be so much better with maple." Matthew finally voiced, looking sadly at his cup. Ivan looked at his own with longing.

"Da, this stuff is rather gross."

"Hello, chaps, Ludwig, Antonio, Ivan, Roderich, Arthur, and... Morgan?" A chirpy voice interrupted. Matthew sighed.

"...It's Matthew."

"Right, Matthew, my mistake." Oliver grinned, sliding next to the boy and placing a small packet in his palm. Matthew looked at in disbelief.

"M-maple syrup?"

Oliver shrugged. "For such control freaks, they always forget to lock the staffroom."

Matthew pulled the packet open and poured the goopy liquid into his cup, smiling at Oliver with gratefulness embodied in every fiber of his being.

"T-thank you."

"Eh, no problem." Oliver smiled at the boy, who now accepted the coffee with no afterthought.

"Mm, just warning you guys, we had a new inmate come in yesterday, and he's... quite interesting." Oliver warned, gesturing to Luciano. The brunette was shaking slightly, hugging his arms and rocking back and forth in small movements.

"What's his name?" Ivan asked the blonde.

"Um, Flavio...Vargas. Yes, Flavio Vargas." Oliver tapped his chin with a long forefinger. "He's almost always busy designing clothing and sketching, since he used to be a very famous fashion designer, but I persuaded him to come out and meet you all."

"Good, it is always nice to make new friends." Ivan said cheerily. "Oh, Luciano, are you okay?"

"No. Don't let him near me."

"Too late!" Oliver pointed to the doors across the cafeteria, which were slowly swinging open.

A blonde man wearing a designer white suit and a long pink scarf strode into the room, an aura of confidence and security bubbling around him and making the air fizz with excitement. His blonde hair moved with every step he took, and the light glinted off of his pink sunglasses. He sat down next to Luciano, whipped off his sunglasses, and flashed a beaming smile at the other inmates.

" _Ciao!_ I suppose you all are Luciano's friends? I'm Flavio, Luciano's _fratello._ It's so lovely to meet you!"

Ivan was taken aback at the cheerfulness the man emanated. He sparkled, the light bouncing off of his gleaming white boots and teeth and blinding them all.

"Hello, Flavio, I'm Ivan, this is Arthur, Roderich, Ludwig, Matthew, Antonio, and Tino."

"Good morning."

"Hello."

"Mmhmm. _Guten morgen_."

"H-hi."

" _Buenos dias!"_

"H-h-h-hello."

"Oh, Tino, your english is getting better!" Ivan smiled, and pulled the Finnish boy close for a hug, feeling the warm, slight frame of the boy pressed against his own bulky frame.

"T-t-t-thank you." Tino looked up at the Russian, eyes bright. He was adjusting nicely, and Ivan was pleased to see he didn't cry anymore.

"It's so _nice_ to see that my little Luci is making friends! He only really had two before, a nice boy named Lutz, and a not-so-nice boy named Kuro. They're both dead now, of course, my little Luci has such a _temper!"_ Flavio pulled Luci in for a cuddle, secretly scraping his sharpened nails down the side of Luciano's neck. Luci gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it.

"Yes, I am making lots of new friends here, it's really nice." Arthur replied, "I'm not the most social bloke out of prison, so when I have the chance to make new friends, I'm not going to pass it up."

Ludwig didn't like the look of this man, so he didn't say anything. Matthew just slunk down in his seat and tried his hardest _not_ to be noticed, for once. Tino just buried his face in Russia's coat to avoid the gaze of the blonde.

"Well, it's been fun, but we have to head back to the psych ward for our therapy sessions, _right, Flavio?"_ Luciano hissed, and pushed the blonde man away. Flavio pouted but slid out of his chair. He waved to the others before he left, smiling. "I can't _wait_ to hang out with you tomorrow! We're going to play cards, right?"

"Ja, see you then." Roderich said, smiling with his teeth clenched. "Can't wait."

Flavio smiled, grabbed Oliver's arm, and slunk away.

...

"Mmm, those people were _gorgeous,_ especially, hmm, what were their names, Arthur and Roderich?" Flavio wetted his lips slightly. "I wonder if they have fabric here... if not, I bet I can pull some strings, I have connections here... Yes, I think they'll work very nicely, don't you agree?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Gah, short chapter is short. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I'm writing and re-writing a new story for you all, and I can't get it right. I should have it out soon, however. I hope you all will read it and love it as much as this one! Props and cookies to everyone who has reviewed and followed, I love you so much! *kisses on both cheeks***

Oliver hums as he pulls Allen out of bed, the man grumbling and hissing at being pulled from the soft comfort of the sheets.

"Come now, Allen, it's your bath time!" The happier man escorted the grumbling man to the bathroom, mumbling softly to him. Allen protested, but allowed himself to be undressed and placed gently into the bathtub.

"Too hot." Allen mumbled. Oliver just hit the cold tap and allowed cold water to fall into the bathtub.

"Ollie?"

Oliver didn't even pause from grabbing the soap and a washcloth. "Yes, Allen?"

"Where's Kuro?"

Oliver stopped in his tracks. "Um.. Allen?"

"I... I miss him." Allen started sniffling.

"Oh, Allen, poppet. Kuro..." Oliver swallowed. "Kuro isn't around anymore."

A ripple spread in the bath water. Then another, and another.

Allen was _crying._

Oliver lathered up soap onto the washcloth and rubbed it in circular motions on Allen's back. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Allen finally spoke.

"Will he... Will he come back?"

Oliver almost burst into tears right there and then, at the heartbreaking show of _real_ emotion that Allen finally showed, after three months.

"No, Allen... Kuro isn't coming back."

...

Tino stared solemnly at the big Russian man sitting next to him as they both moved graphite on paper. Ivan had taken art because he found it relaxing. Tino had taken art because Ivan took art. The man made Tino feel safe, like his darling Su-San, but he was more childish and talkative.

 _Nobody will ever replace Su-San. Nobody._

Ivan was focusing rather intently on his sketch, his pencil flying. Tino glanced at what he was drawing. A beautiful field of sunflowers, a child's sun, and two figures. They were very crudely drawn, just barely lines and shapes, but to Tino, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of art he had ever seen.

"W-w-who a-a-are t-the p-p-people in t-the f-f-field?"

Ivan smiled fondly at the young boy. "Your English is getting a lot better. Good job." He glanced at the paper. "This? Um, this is supposed to be Alfred and I. Before the incident." He smiled regretfully. "I miss him, sometimes."

"I-I m-miss Su-San." Tino mumbled. "V-very, very m-much." Ivan wrapped one arm around the boy and brought him in for a hug.

'It's natural to miss the one you love, Tino."

"I l-l-loved him, s-so much." Tino stuttered into Ivan's jacket.

"I did too." Ivan said, one fat tear rolling down his cheek and splashing onto the paper.


	12. Chapter 12

**Kya, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I don't have a schedule (because of school, bleh). Thank you for all the positive feedback, and I hope you like this chapter!**

Lili smiled innocently at the guard in front of the door separating her from the one thing she desired.

"It's my day to visit big _bruder,_ right?"

The female guard nodded, smiling back. "Mmhmm, and how are you today, Lili?"

"Fine, thank you." Lili bowed her head as the guard unlocked the big iron door. It swung open seamlessly, revealing the black abyss within. Lili slipped off both of her shoes, and stepped inside the vault.

...

"Big _bruder?_ I'm back!" Lili cooed. There was a shuffling noise, and a scream.

"N-no! Get away, get away from me!"

Lili just walked closer, her arms outstretched. Her eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong? I thought you liked my hugs, _bruder."_ Her voice is sad, full of longing.

"No! You're psycho!" Came the frightened reply. A small light flickered on, illuminating the room in a creamy glow, illuminating the frightened soul housed in the room itself.

His blonde hair was matted and tangled, his face gaunt and haggard. He wore only a pair of green striped pajamas, and his eyes were wide with fear. His arms were shackled, and he was crying, creamy tears running down his face and landing with a _plock_ next to him.

"You know I love you." Lili sat down next to him, but he scooted away against the wall.

"N-no... go away."

"Come closer, brother, I'm not going to hurt you." Lili backed him into a corner, then leaned down and caressed him, hands rubbing circles into his back. He whimpered, tensing up when her fingers came into contact with his skin.

"Nobody will ever hurt you again." Lili hissed into his ear. "If they do, they'll have to deal with me first." She kissed him gently on the forehead, and he shivered. "You're mine, and mine forever." She sighed. "It's a shame that that Roderich boy hooked up with that Elizaveta girl right after you two broke up." She sighed, holding her hands to her heart. After a few beats, an idea came to her, recognition spreading over her face like wildfire.

"But..." She cooed, "That picky boy now rests in this prison, did you hear, Vash?" She tapped him lightly on the nose. "He killed his lover, did you know? She wasn't good enough for him, just as _you_ weren't good enough for him." She leaned in to hug him again, stroking his filthy hair with her long, slender fingers. "I can make him pay, for hurting my wonderful _bruder._ Would you like me to do that?" Vash shook his head wildly, but Lili placed one finger to his lips. "I think I will. Nobody gets to have you but me." She tapped one finger to her cheek in mock thought. "I wonder if he still has feelings for you. He probably does, but I'm not going to let you get close to him, he'll just hurt you again." She straightened up, tapping her fingers together. "I'll see you next week, big _bruder,_ and I will make sure that that disgusting piece of filth pays for hurting you, okay?"

Vash whimpered. Lili finger waved at him, then strode back out of the vault and out of sight.

...

"How was he?" The guard asked, as Lili was slipping on her shoes.

"Great! We hugged and cuddled, it was wonderful." Lili smiled. "I can't wait for next week." As she was lead away by her chaperone, the guard sighed.

"It's wonderful to see a girl like that having a wonderful, loving relationship with her brother. You don't see that very often."

...

"Mm, we haven't played cards in a while, have we?" Flavio smiled as he blew a thick layer of dust off of the cardboard pack. The others exchanged glances. Truthfully, they hadn't played because they didn't want to deal with _him_ again. As Flavio moved the cards between his palms and fingers, he chattered endlessly.

"Oh, Antonio?"

" _Si?"_ The man asked curiously.

"I was wondering if you would stop by to, um, _visit_ tomorrow around lunchtime? I've cleared it with my chaperones and everything." Flavio flashed a grin as he dealt. "Okay, sounds like fun." Antonio said, obliviously. He didn't notice Flavio wetting his lips with his tongue, and he picked up his hand and examined it with interest.

"I don't like the sound of what Flavio's planning." Arthur whispered to Ivan.

"Da, he strikes me as somewhat sinister and more than a little perverted." Ivan whispered back, pretending to be interested in his two of clubs.

"Talking about people behind their backs is rude." Flavio said absentmindedly, his smile wavering slightly. For one second, Ivan thought he saw a look of hatred pass over the happy man's face, but then the smile was back and plastered on his face.

"So, who's going first?

Ivan, in response, put down his two of clubs, face down.

"One ace."

"Two twos."

"One three."

"BS."

Antonio grumbled and picked all the cards that lay in the pile before him. "Roderich's too good at this game."

"Two fours."

"One five."

"One six."

"Three sevens."

"BS."

Arthur took all the cards, scowling.

"How'd you know?"

"Because I have two sevens." Flavio smiled.

They played on like this for a while, Arthur eventually tying with Roderich.

"Well, it's been a _pleasure_ playing with you, but my fussy old chaperones have come to pick me up." Flavio pouted before turning himself over to the guards. "See you tomorrow, Toni darling!"

As he walked away, Ivan thought he could hear him hiss " _Silly little pawns."_ But he was too far away to distinguish it.

"Well, I know something that'll cheer you up." Arthur said, halfheartedly.

"What?"

"It's almost Christmas."

"What about thanksgiving?" Ivan wondered.

"They don't celebrate it here. Say we don't really have anything to be thankful for. They do serve a very rubbery, fake turkey though."

"Yum." Ludwig sighed. "Happy thanksgiving to all of us."

"Come on." Arthur clapped him on the back. "Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll have some imitation cranberry sauce for us as well."

As they all walked away, Ivan thought to himself.

 _But I do have something to be thankful for. I am thankful for all of my friends._


	13. Chapter 13

**50 reviews! YAY! Thank you all, I love you so much! Also, I'm so sorry I don't have a proper updating schedule, it's mostly whenever I can fit a chapter in...yeah, happy belated thanksgiving! Love you all! This chapter is in response to Topaz3, so I hope you enjoy it! :3**

"Comrade Arthur?"

"Mm? Yes?"

"You've been here for two years, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"What do they usually do for Christmas here?"

Arthur took a second to respond. "Well, usually they put up a small christmas tree in the courtyard, and there's actually good food for dinner that day. Um, they give us one small present each. It's usually something small but moderately valuable, like an mp3 player or a sketchbook. Some people got stuffed animals." Arthur let out a little sigh. "And they mostly let us out in the courtyard or cafeteria most of the day. I bet if we wanted to visit the people in Cell Block F, they'd let us."

"That will be nice. I am kind of worried about comrade Antonio."

"Me too. Flavio is...slightly shifty."

"I agree. What did Luciano say he was again? Before he was incarcerated?"

"Um, I think a fashion designer."

Ivan felt a chill go down his spine. "You don't think..."

"That's exactly what I think." Ivan could hear Arthur adjust his position on his bed, as the springs made annoying squeaking sounds whenever you moved.

"I'm kind of afraid to see what he'll look like afterward."

"Me too. But I am hoping it will be good for a laugh."

"He might actually end up looking fabulous." Arthur chuckled.

"If it turns out well, he might decide to make outfits for all of us."

"Oh, I hope not."

"Me too."

There were a few moments of silence, before Arthur broke it. "It would probably make a bloody amazing christmas present."

Ivan chuckled. "That it would."

...

Flavio stuck out his tongue slightly as he moved his pencil around in his sketchbook.

"Hmm. It would need to compliment his skin tone, so I'm thinking maybe red, caramel, maybe coffee...green would work as well, maybe as an accent."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Luciano scowled at his brother, who gave him bambi eyes and tried to look innocent.

"Who, me? Nothing, nothing, just working out a few kinks in my design."

Luciano leaned in closer to see what he was sketching. "What the-" Flavio put one delicate finger to his lips. "Nah-ah-ah, _fratello,_ you're not allowed to tell."

"But... that looks..."

"Fabulous?" Flavio cocked a delicate eyebrow. Luciano sighed. "Of course, but for him? Will that work?"

"I'm sorry. Are you a fashion designer?" Flavio asked, honey sweet sarcasm oozing out from the undertones of the question.

"No." Luciano scoffed.

"Exactly. You don't know what you're talking about." Flavio turned back to his sketchbook. "Now, I've designed a little present for you as well, so when my _lovely_ chaperone is back with the fabric I've requested, we can get started right away." His fuchsia eyes glinted with excitement. Luciano paled.

"Not that, _por favore."_

"Oh yes, in the name of my _therapy,_ I completely _insist."_ Flavio made a note in his sketchbook and snapped it shut.

"I don't even know why that woman listens to your requests." Luciano muttered.

"Her? Please, I've got her wrapped around my little finger." Flavio smiled, and twirled a lock of his hair around his forefinger. "She's so sweet, so naive, she's a _cutie._ And those eyes, oh, she would look so good in pastel pink." He giggled, actually giggled.

"You're a monster." Luciano snapped. "This place is too tame for you, you belong in a real asylum."

"Oh?" Flavio stood up and brushed non-existent crumbs off of his designer pants. "You think I belong somewhere with tighter security? Where I need to wear a straightjacket? Where I need to talk to a therapist every day about my _feelings?_ " He grabbed the front of Luciano's shirt and twisted it.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I am perfectly _fine."_ His smile grew wider. "I'm only here because of some _trivial pursuits._ I'm here because it interests me." He fingered with his brother's curl, causing his cheeks to flush. "What, did you actually think that I would get _caught?_ Am I really that unskilled in your eyes?" He laughed again, but his eyes held no mirth. He let go of his brother's shirt and kicked him to the ground. "I know how to cover up my tracks, _fratello,_ I know very well. I just happened to let Andres go and tell the police about what happened. Where do you think my sweet little doll is now?" He wetted his lips. "Oh, it was fun, surely, but then the police came, and I found myself here. Just where I wanted to be." Luciano tried to scramble away, but Flavio placed one boot on his chest and twisted, causing the brunette to let out a little yelp. "And why did I want to be here?" He leaned down and poked Luciano in the nose.

"Because this is the prison holding my sweet, sweet little _fratello!"_ Flavio hissed, still smiling. "And now, I've got you right where I want you." He released Luciano, who looked at him with loathing in his eyes before scrambling back to the dorm room.

" _Under my thumb."_ Flavio whispered to himself, before heading back to the beanbag he was sitting on and picking up his sketchbook.

...

Antonio was escorted from his cell at around three; there wasn't a clock in his cell, so he didn't really know. The lady who escorted him was sweet, unlike all the other guards he had encountered, and she chatted with him all the while.

"Here's your stop! I'll pick you up in three hours, okay?"

"Sounds fine to me!" Antonio said amiably. The woman unlocked the door and ushered Antonio in, waving at him as he went.

"Ah, Antonio! So good to see you again!" Antonio was brought back to earth by a very, very enthusiastic Italian shaking his hand and smiling.

"E-eh, hello, Flavi." Antonio said, slightly shaken up.

"Come on, come on, I've got to take your measurements, and then I have a lot of sewing to do, but when I'm done, you'll look fabulous, I just know it!" Antonio just went along with whatever the italian wanted, it couldn't be that dangerous, right? He stood still, very patiently, as Flavio ran the measuring tape down his sides, around his chest and torso, down his legs, and as he took his general height. He chatted with him as the italian held color swatches to his arms and cheeks to check his skin tone, and as he traced patterns on the fabric he eventually chose. He handed him supplies as he snipped and sewed the fabric, stitching and cropping it into the shapes he wanted, and he actually had a lot of fun. Flavio was bright and funny to talk to, and he had some amazing stories to tell. Overall, the whole experience wasn't so bad. When the three hours were finally over, Flavio kissed him on both cheeks and told him to come back in two days.

"So how was he?" The sweet guard asked as she escorted him back to his boring cell.

" _Bien,_ he took my measurements, and he was very interesting to talk to. I think we got along pretty well." Antonio said, obliviously.

"Good, good, I'm glad to see he's getting better." The guard chuckled.

"Yes, he seems like a very nice man." Antonio agreed as she unlocked the door to his cell and ushered him in.

"You seem nice too, I don't think such nice people should be in here." She pouted before locking him up and waving him goodbye.

"Yes, but I deserve it." Toni said to himself, sighing as he fell back on the bed.

" _Ugh, those motherfucking bastards! I'd like to tear off their arms and stuff them down their throats!" Lovino screamed as he was dragged away from yet another street fight._

" _Don't swear, Lovi, it doesn't suit you." Antonio tutted as he fussed over the italian. Luckily, the alley Lovino had chosen was only two blocks away from their house, a quaint little victorian just perfect for two._

" _I'll swear whenever the fuck I want, fuckass." Lovino replied, squirming out of the spaniard's grip. "Now let me go back so I can murder those fucking bastards!"_

" _No, you need to get home and change clothes and take a bath. You're covered with mud and blood and muck." Antonio restrained him again as they turned a corner. "Besides, I already took care of them."_

" _I can fight my own fucking fights, you little bitch." Lovino swore, thrashing around like an eel coated in grease._

" _Not this one. There were five of them and they were twice your size." Antonio adjusted his grip. "Stop squirming, I don't want to hurt you."_

" _Let go of me, you little-" Antonio sighed. "Shut up, Lovino, before I lose my temper."_

" _No! I don't need your fucking help, you idiotic fuckass! You always hurt me and you're always in the fucking way! I don't need you, you're annoying as hell! Just...leave me the fuck alone!"_

 _That did it. Antonio sighed, and pressed his finger to a small point near Lovino's neck. The man slumped instantly. Antonio carried him up the front steps and through the front door. However, he didn't stop there. He continued all the way into the kitchen, down the basement steps, and right into the laundry room. He laid the small man down and opened the washing machine. With a gentle touch, he placed Lovino in the washing machine and shut the door. It clicked loudly, waking him up._

" _Toni? W-what are you doing?"_

 _With a cheerful hum, Antonio poured in the detergent and set the temperature to "Hot." With a last look at the shocked expression on his lover's face, he hit the start button._

" _I'm cleaning you up, my little Lovi."_

" _W-what? T-toni, let me out right now! Please!" The washing machine began to thump and spin, and Lovi's screams were soon drowned out by the gurgling of the water and the cheerful humming of Toni._

" _Besame, besame mucho, como si fuera esta noche la última vez, besame, besame mucho, que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte despues..."_


	14. Chapter 14

**Before you start, I just wanted to bring up an issue that was brought up. I'm sorry if I offend you by the way I'm writing Allen, I am just writing him the way I want to write him, and I mean no offense.**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND STUFF!**

" _Su-san? Why are we here?"_

 _Tino clutched onto Berwald's arm as they entered the large building._

" _Target practice." Was all the swede said. Tino didn't like it here, it was drafty and terribly cold._

" _Why?"_

" _I want you to know how to shoot. In case you're in danger." Berwald kept walking until they reached the middle of the warehouse. Lying on the floor were two guns, two sniper rifles. Berwald gently handed one to Tino, who nearly collapsed under the unaccustomed weight._

" _Hold it like this." Berwald murmured, leaning over Tino to correct his stance. Tino tingled as gloved fingers brushed over his own._

" _This is the trigger." Berwald fingered it, showing it to Tino. Tino nodded and placed one forefinger over the small lever._

" _Aim it precisely, then pull the trigger." Berwald moved out of the way. Tino took a deep breath, and closed one eye. He aimed the barrel at a box some feet away and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed one foot above where he aimed, drilling into the wall._

" _I did it! Su-san, I did it!" Tino turned to the swede, smiling. One corner of Berwald's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile, but couldn't._

" _Great job."_

 _They came to the warehouse every weekend, and Tino's aim got steadily better. Berwald always seemed like he wanted to smile, but every time he got close, it dropped and he had to look away._

 _One snowy friday, when Tino had just hit his target precisely, he went to hug Berwald in excitement. However, instead of a warm embrace like usual, he was pushed away._

" _Su-san?"_

" _Tino. I have some news to share. I didn't want to tell you until I absolutely had to." Tino looked anxiously up at Berwald._

" _I got promoted."_

 _Tino smiled. "But that's good news! Why are you so sad?"_

" _You didn't let me finish. It means I am being transferred. To Estonia."_

" _So we're moving?"_

 _Berwald shook his head. "No._ _I'm_ _moving."_

" _How long?"_

" _I don't know. A few years, at the least."_

 _Tino blinked a few times. "N-no. This can't be happening. I want to go too."_

" _No. I won't let you. It's dangerous. You're too young."_

" _No! Don't leave me!" Tino started to cry. "I can't stay here without you!"_

" _You'll have Lukas and Emil. They'll take care of you. Even Matthias, if you're in danger. You can shoot now, so if anyone tries to hurt you-"_

" _Don't go! Don't leave me!" Tino's face was red, and he was sobbing. He became aware of the gun he was holding._

" _I have to."_

" _I can't live without you! Because I love you!" Tino finally choked out. Berwald looked astonished._

 _The trigger snapped back._

 _Berwald fell._

 _Tino dropped the gun like a hot coal. He ran to Berwald's side, still crying. Red was blossoming from underneath the swede's heavy coat, staining the blue cloth a deep violet._

" _Su-san! N-no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He fell on top of the man, sobbing. He tore away his coat to examine the wound._

" _We can fix this! We need to get you to a hospital! R-right?" He grabbed his phone, his hands shaking, and punched in the numbers 9-1-1._

" _Hello? What's your emergency?"_

 _Tino was about to speak, but dropped the phone when he felt a heavy hand brush against his cheek._

" _I...loved you...too."_

 _The hand dropped, and Tino screamed._

 _The police found him fifteen minutes later, asleep on top of the man's corpse. His hands were stained with red, and there was a gun lying nearby. They jumped to conclusions, like they would._

 _When he woke up, he was lying in a dirty prison cell, and all they told him was that he was being deported._

" _W-where's Su-san?" Was all he said._

Tino woke up on the floor, his cheeks wet with tears.

...

"Mister Ivan...Braginski?" The man looked at his clipboard.

"Da, that's me." Ivan stood up, stretching out his back. Sitting around all day made you really stiff.

"You have a visitor. And they brought a present. It's been thoroughly inspected, and we haven't found anything dangerous."

Ivan was shocked. A visitor? His only suspicion was Natalia, and he was scared to see what she might bring him.

But it was not to be, for instead of his psychotic little sister, he was led to a small chamber containing a trembling little boy.

"Raivis?" Ivan smiled. "My little cousin! How nice it is to see you!"

"I-It's n-nice to see you t-two, Mister I-Ivan." Raivis mumbled. Ivan enfolded him in a hug, smiling. It had been so long since he had seen this little fragile ball of fluff.

"I brought you something." Raivis held up a small, squishy package. It was wrapped in blue paper, and it had a small boy tied on it. Opening it carefully, Ivan found a...a scarf. Light blue in color, it had a note enclosed.

 _To Ivan, from Natalia, Toris, Eduard, and Irunya._

"Thank you." Ivan put the scarf on, winding it around his neck. It smelled like wool, like home. It was a scent he had missed.

"She thought you'd like it." Raivis mumbled.

"I do. I really do." Ivan hugged Raivis again. He was shocked to feel something warm running down his cheeks.

"Are you crying?"

"I guess so." Ivan wiped his eyes. "I just miss you all. But it is not as bad as I thought. I have made friends here. I am liking having friends."

"I'm glad you've made friends." Raivis smiled slightly, some of his nervousness melting away.

"I am going to be here for nine more years. I am not going to be able to see you for nine more years."

"It won't be that bad, we'll come visit you, and I'm sure Irunya will make you some cookies or something when she visits."

"I am liking cookies. The food here tastes like mud."

"Ivan, your time's up. Say goodbye and then let's go."

It was Raivis that hugged him this time, his tiny arms wrapping around Ivan's waist.

"I miss you." He mumbled.

"I have missed you too, Raivis. I shall see you later." Ivan smiled, tousling the boy's soft hair.

"See you later, Mister Ivan." Raivis pulled away, waving as he exited the room.

 _..._

"Is this really necessary?" Luciano pulled at his collar, the blue cloth rubbing against his neck.

"Mmhmm. Hold still, your tie's crooked." Flavio leaned in to tie the blue cloth around his neck, making it just a _little_ too tight.

"You're choking me."

"Oops." Flavio frowned in mock sympathy, but made no effort to fix his mistake. He stepped back a few paces to check his handiwork. " _Perfetto."_

Luciano was bedecked in a stylish italian suit, colored a beautiful admiral blue. His vest was the same shade of azure, and the shirt was light cornflower blue. The tie he wore was a light cerulean, and he looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

"You look fabulous, _fratello_ of mine." Flavio nodded, rubbing his measuring tape between thumb and forefinger.

"I feel ridiculous." Luciano tried to loosen the tie, but only succeeded in tying it tighter.

"Keep that up, and your face will become as blue as the suit." Flavio fussed, walking in a circle around Luciano to check for any dangling threads.

"Ha ha. For a _psycho,_ you sure are witty." Luciano scoffed when suddenly Flavio was at his throat, brandishing a pair of sewing scissors. Luciano was about to retort when there was a small _schick,_ and Flavio backed away.

"What the fuck was that?"

"You had a loose thread on your collar." Flavio said smoothly, polishing the scissors with the hem of his jacket.

"Bullshit." Luciano checked his throat for cuts, but found none. "You're insane."

"Am I now? I thought we already had this discussion." Flavio turned toward the door. "Oh, Toni's here. I'll resume this stimulating conversation later." The door swung open, and Antonio stepped in, blushing.

" _Hola,_ Flavio."

" _Ciao,_ Antonio. You're right on time, I'm all finished." Flavio jerked his thumb at Luciano, who blushed.

"Oh, Luciano! _Bien, bien,_ you look fabulous!" Antonio smiled at the italian, which only made his blush intensify.

" _Grazie._ " He muttered before disappearing into the dorms.

"Here." Flavio shoved a bundle of fabric into Antonio's arms. "Go get changed. The bathrooms are that way." He pointed in the direction of the doorway. Antonio tucked the bundle underneath his arm and headed into the darkened room.

He stumbled around for a while, having no sense of direction and it being pitch black in the room. Eventually, he bumped into somebody.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just looking for the-"

"Bathrooms?" The man's bright smile showed even through the darkness. "Here, I'll take you." Antonio felt a clammy hand clutch his own. He was pulled along for about five minutes before they reached a white door.

"Here."

"Oh, thank you." Antonio smiled, and the stranger chuckled in response. "You're quite welcome, poppet. Happy to be of service."

"The guards must be very gracious, I didn't know that your rooms were that big." Antonio flushed. The stranger's smile grew wider.

"Neither do they."

Antonio, a chill traveling down his spine, ducked into the bathroom, locked it, and began to undress, pulling on the clothing that Flavio had tailored for him. It fit him very well, and the fabric was soft and surprisingly comfy. There was no mirror in the bathroom, so Toni just had to guess that he looked fashionable. He clicked the lock, opened the door, and exited the bathroom.

Turning to the right, he saw that the doorway back to the nursery was just a few paces away. _I really do have no sense of direction_ he thought as he walked back to Flavio.

"Oh! See Luci, I told you it would work!"

Antonio was dressed in a tomato red shirt with 3/4 length sleeves, a coffee colored vest, and a green tie. Neatly pressed beige slacks completed the look, and somehow he was able to acquire a pair of shiny black boots.

" _Perfetto, perfetto,_ you look gorgeous." Flavio squealed in joy. And he did. The colors complimented his skin tone, they framed his body rather alluringly, and it wasn't just the outfit. Shining green eyes, mocha colored locks that were just a bit too long, clear cut features, he was the perfect model. Flavio prided himself on choosing the best of the breed.

Antonio smiled, he really did like the outfit. "Thank you, Flavio, it looks great."

"You look amazing, Antonio, simply fabulous. I wish they would let you wear this all the time." Flavio sighed.

Luciano? He didn't say anything. He just stared.

"At least you'll be able to wear it during christmas." Flavio winked. "I've got a bit of a surprise up my sleeve."

"A good surprise?" Antonio wondered. "They'll love it." Flavio nodded. "Unfortunately, it is time for you to take your leave. Take the clothes with you."

Antonio, with a gleaming smile, ducked back into the bathroom to change. While he was in there, Flavio sighed.

"How I wish I could stare at him longer, but I've got to get back to work. This was wonderful, but inefficient." Flavio stared at his sketchbook, flipping through the pages.

"I wonder if they have all the measurements in the office?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Gah, I'm** ** _so_** **sorry! I have been busy with school, and...other stuff *coughwritinghungergamesfanfictionaboutmyfriendscough* and I didn't have time to update. Here's a chapter for you, fresh from the...er...keyboard, I guess.**

" _Ve, Ludwig, Ludwig, guess what we're having for dinner tonight!" Ludwig gasped as he felt hands around his waist." "Pasta." He sighed, smirking slightly. "How did you guess?!" Feli giggled, pulling Ludwig to the dinner table. "We've had pasta for dinner every day this week." Ludwig said as he sunk down into his chair. "Be careful not to dirty the kitchen. Did you spill anything?" "Only a tiny bit of sauce." Ludwig turned around to see a huge red puddle on the countertop, slowly oozing its way onto the floor. "Feli..." He growled, running to grab a sponge. While he mopped up the puddle, Feli ladled spaghetti onto plates and topped it off with a generous round of tomato sauce and a few meatballs. "Why do I always have to clean up after you?" Ludwig wondered, taking his place at the table once again and picking up his fork. "I don't know. Probably because you're a clean freak." Feli declared through a mouthful of pasta. Ludwig took a bite of the perfectly cooked noodles, the taste of tomato hitting his tongue almost instantly. What he wouldn't give for a good wurst right about now. "...And then Lovino called him a bastard, and then Sadiq hit him with a stick, and then..." Feli jabbered on and on about something utterly meaningless, Ludwig just listening to him ramble. "...And finally Antonio said that everybody needed tomatoes because tomatoes are good for the soul. And then Lovino told him to shut up." Feli finished, taking a deep breath. "You know-" Ludwig tried to speak, but he was cut off by Feliciano once again. "Your accent is real funny, Luddy, I just realized that!" He giggled, cutting his meatball into tiny bites. "Thanks." Ludwig muttered, taking another bite of pasta. Feli just kept talking, ignoring any points Ludwig tried to make and spilling tomato sauce all over the table. Finally, Feli stopped talking, but only to take his plate over to the counter. He was about to speak when Feli ran upstairs, leaving Ludwig with the cleanup. Again. Ludwig wondered why he even put up with the idiot. He was always so lazy, he contributed nothing, Ludwig put all the work into the relationship. They were living in his house, off of his money, eating his food. A thought flashed through the German's head.. Why keep dead weight around?_

 _That night, when Feli slipped into bed next to him, Ludwig pulled him closer than usual. "Ve, Ludwig, you're very cuddly tonight." Feli giggled, pushing into the german's side. Ludwig, in response, kissed Feli on the lips, then cupped his cheek with both hands. Feli was about to say something when the hands moved to his neck."L-Luddy?" A loud snap echoed through the empty house._

 _Another red puddle began to clot on the bed sheets. Ludwig didn't bother to clean it up._

 _..._

Roderich was minding his own business, standing around in the concrete play yard when Lili approached him.

"Oh, good morning, Lil-OW!"

He was interrupted by a kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to skid across the pavement.

"Good morning, Roddy." Lili giggled, the edges of her skirt flaring out as she settled back into her neutral stance. "Why, pray tell, did you deem it necessary to kick me in the stomach?" Roderich rubbed his aching torso. He started to get up, but Lili just held him down with her heel. "You hurt my big brother." She dug her heel in. "He never really recovered, did he?" Deeper. "He was always sad. He almost never left his room." Roderich started to cough, but Lili just kept grinding her heel into his solar plexus. "I had to do something, but you had already left." She knelt down on his stomach, sitting on top of him. "But then I ended up here too, lucky me!" She giggled, adjusting her position so that Roderich could barely breathe. "You-" She punched him in the cheek, leaving a red mark. "Hurt-" Another punch, this time to the other cheek. "My-" She grabbed a chunk of hair from the top of his head and pulled, causing the older man to scream. " _Bruder."_ She hissed, pulling his face to hers. Roderich whimpered, and Lili released him, climbing off of his torso and kicking his side before leaving the yard once more. Roderich didn't have a clue to who she was talking about, but he felt a vague sense of familiarity. Was it the hair, or the eyes? He watched her go, watched her hair swish out behind her, her stern way of walking, before it hit him like a full force punch to the solar plexus.

 _Vash Zwingli._

...

"Let's see. Ludwig Beilschmidt, height... five feet, eleven inches. Weight... 152 pounds. Very nice figure, sturdy muscles, and a good skin tone. Temperament...not so good." Flavio sifted through a bunch of files and papers, fashionable pink sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose in concentration. "Arthur Kirkland, height... five feet, nine inches. Weight is 135 pounds. Mmm, those eyes, such pretty emeralds. But...the eyebrows might throw off _any_ work I could have done." Flavio clicked his tongue and placed the paper gingerly back in its file casing, jotting down a note on his stationary. "Ivan Braginski. Height, five foot eleven! Mm, he's a tall one. Weight, 168 pounds. Platinum hair and violet eyes, strange combination, but I think I can use that to my advantage." He sighed happily before flipping through the files once more. "Isn't it such a coincidence that all the handsome people end up in this prison? Hmm, Roderich Edelstein, five feet, ten inches, _beautiful_ hair, not a bad figure either. Rather...feminine, actually." Flavio peered at the image embossed on the paper before pushing his sunglasses back up on his nose. "Eh, he'll look good in royal purple." He giggled at the thought, then went back to shuffling papers. Honestly, life doesn't get much better than this. He was in his element, designing clothes, the things he loves, he gets to spend time with his _lovely_ friend Toni, and he has his _fratello_ right under his thumb.

Nope, life didn't get much better than this.

...

Lili hummed as she tiptoed down to the vault where they kept her big brother, humming under her breath. It was a song big brother's friend Kiku taught her, and she quite liked it.

"Let's pop, twee pop, go merry-go-round, come on cotton-wool tiger, come on glass bunny rabbit! Let's pop, twee pop, go-merry-go-round! Why shouldn't we dance together, forever and ever?" With a happy hum, she skipped up to the prison guard.

"I'm here to see my big brother!"

The guard looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "Sweetie, I have some bad news. Vash passed away at around twelve this morning. His blood pressure and heart rate suddenly spiked, and he just...gave up." Lili took a couple of steps back, her eyes wide.

"N-no...it can't be...it just can't."

"I'm afraid so." The guard said, leaning down and patting Lili on the head. Without any warning, Lili grabbed hold of the woman's wrist and bent it back, causing a sickening _crack._ The woman screamed, and the next thing Lili knew, she was back in her old bedroom, the door padlocked shut.

"And I thought you were improving." The head guard said with a disapproving sigh before walking away. Lili watched him go, hatred burning in her large eyes.

 _You will pay for this, Roderich Edelstein. I will do anything in my power to see you destroyed._

 **Okay, due to my abundant writers block, I decided to hold a small contest/ask thing. I want the next chapter to be all backstories and fluff, so comment what you want to see below! I love you all so much, thank you for understanding and helping me through this process with your wonderful reviews! I appreciate them so much!**

 **-Aria**


	16. Chapter 16: Backstories Galore

**You asked for it, and you got it. These took three straight days to type, almost every waking minute went into these. I hope you like them~**

" _Hello, Vash." Roderich always enjoyed seeing Vash smile. It wasn't a gesture he employed often, but when he did, it was like the whole room lit up. "Hello, Roddy."_

 _Unfortunately, this would probably be the last time he would see this smile. "Um, Vash? I have something to tell you."_

" _What is it?" Vash nestled into the couch next to Roderich and put his head on Roderich's shoulder. He closed his eyes, a serene smile gracing his lips. "There's a girl."_

 _Vash's eyes snapped open. He sat up and stared at Roderich, an expression of disbelief slowly clouding his features and the serene smile disappearing._

" _Her name is Elizaveta. I met her on a business trip, and she's really nice." Roderich started tearing up, just looking at the betrayed expression on Vash's face made his heart hurt._

" _I love her."_

 _Vash stood up, shocked. "I thought you loved me!" "People change, Vash." "No!" Vash started to cry, a rare display of emotion for the swiss sniper._

" _I loved you because I thought you wouldn't leave me. That you wouldn't betray me for something petty. That you loved me back! I thought..." "Nothing lasts forever, Vash." Roderich's voice took on a sharp tone. "Don't you realize this is as hard for me as this is for you?" "I still love you. You have...you have her." Vash's face became hard. "Look, I don't need you right now!" Roderich shouted. "Well, I need you!" "Maybe this is the reason why I love her! Maybe you're not enough for me, alright? Maybe I need something more than_ _you!_ " _Roderich screamed. Vash took a couple steps back, tears sliding down his cheeks and landing with small splashes on the carpet._

" _I see. I'll see myself out."_

" _Wait, Vash-" Roderich tried to stop him, but Vash was already out the door._

 _..._

" _Big bruder? What's wrong?" Lili grabbed on to Vash's sleeve, but he shook her off._

" _I need some alone time right now, okay, Lili?" "Did Roderich hurt you?" "Yes." Vash stomped into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. Lili looked at her hands. "Big bruder...is hurt..." She clenched them into fists._

" _Nobody hurts my big bruder."_

 _And she began to formulate a plan._

 _..._

" _Hello? Is this World W Prison and Asylum?" Lili spoke softly into the mouthpiece of the phone. "Yes, what is your problem?" "There's something wrong with my brother. He's acting strange. I think something is wrong with his head." "Did he go through something traumatic recently." "Yes. He keeps testifying that he's not insane, and he's crying and stuff. He keeps saying that he's not enough, or something like that. He's talking to himself." "We'll be over in five minutes." "Danke. He'll try to say he's not insane, but you shouldn't listen to him." "Thanks for the warning." Lili set down the phone back on the stand with a click._

" _Now, big bruder, you'll be safe. Safe forever."_

 _..._

" _Hello, Michelle, haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" Arthur greeted his old acquaintance with a smile. "Fine, thanks Arthur! I just got a boyfriend, he's so dreamy! He's always so nice, and he treats me like a princess!" "Oh, I recently started dating as well. A boy, actually. He's very nice as well." "Really?" "Yes, he always puts up with me when I try my hand at cooking, and he's very gentlemanly. Sometimes, however, he gets on my nerves. Very intimate chap." "I know how you feel! Mine sometimes tries to..." She trailed off, unconsciously holding her hand to her breast. "But otherwise, he's such a good guy! French, can you believe it?" Arthur looked at her suspiciously. "French?" "Mmhmm! He's wonderful." She sighed. "Um, just out of curiosity, what does your boyfriend look like?" "Oh, long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, tall." "Does he have stubble on his chin?" Arthur inquired. "Funnily enough, yes." Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. "What's his name?"_

" _Oh, did I not mention it? Francis Bonnefoy."_

 _..._

" _Francis?"_

" _Yes, Arthur?" Francis walked over to his "boyfriend" with a look of concern on his face. If it weren't for the day's events, Arthur could almost believe it was genuine._

" _Do you love me?"_

" _Of course I do, why would you believe otherwise?" He kissed Arthur's forehead and smiled. A fake, empty smile of the unfaithful._

" _Just wondering." Arthur murmured, the kiss still tingling on his forehead._

 _..._

" _Rosbif, I'm going out tonight! Don't get into any trouble when I'm gone, oui?" Francis waved goodbye to his boyfriend, who faked a smile and nodded back. "Alright, frog." The door slammed closed, and Arthur's smile disappears. "Just enough time to get to the medicine cabinet. Boyfriend, my arse."_

 _..._

" _Ah, bonjour, Arthur. I'm exhausted." Francis collapsed on the couch, sighing dramatically. "Arthur, could you get me a drink, s_ _'il vous plaît?" "Alright, frog." Arthur set the cup next to him, making sure to use a coaster. Francis downed the water in one gulp, sighing with pleasure. "Arthur, come sit next to me." Francis patted the spot next to him enticingly. "Alright, Francis." Arthur did as he was asked, sitting down gingerly. Francis frowned, suspicious. "What is wrong? You are surprisingly docile tonight." "Oh, nothing." Arthur placed a tender kiss on Francis's lips, the blonde sighing with delight. Arthur lay down on Francis's lap, tracing patterns on the blonde's creamy skin. "You are very sensual tonight, mon amour." Francis chuckled, running his fingers through Arthur's hair. Arthur, in response, moved his fingers up to Francis's chest, still tracing patterns. Francis closed his eyes and let out a rumbling moan. "Arthur-" "Shh." Francis felt a finger press to his lips, and the sensation of an unknown object entering his mouth. Francis, without thinking, swallowed. "Arthur...what was that?"_

 _That question slowly faded and was replaced by screams as the blonde started to vomit, spilling the contents of his stomach all over the couch. Arthur jumped back, smirking, as Francis starting convulsing, his eyes dilating and his skin draining of color as his red blood cells were slowly destroyed._

" _What...why...Arthur?" Francis managed to choke out as his body slowly seized up, his previously rosy cheeks now pale and hollow._

" _Ah, Francis, this is your punishment for being unfaithful. Imagine how all your other special friends will react when they see your cold, dead body?"_

 _Francis's last expression was that of shock and rage, of betrayal._

" _And I hope to be invited to the funeral."_

 _..._

" _Allen? Are you feeling better?" Kuro laid a tender hand on Allen's shoulder, but it was shrugged off._

"' _M fine. I wanna go home."_

" _You can't go home yet, Allen, you have to stay here and get better." Tears filled the man's eyes as he saw the man's eyes fill with false hope. He would probably never get to go home._

" _Really?" Allen's eyes lit up. "I w-wanna go home with K-Kuro." Kuro started to cry, but he didn't need tears. he needed to be strong, strong for Allen._

" _Kuro?"_

" _Yes?"_

 _Allen mumbled something unintelligible. Kuro bent down to listen. "Speak up, Allen, I can't hear you." He gasped as Allen's hands took hold of his neck._

 _Snap._

 _Kuro fell to the ground, as lifeless and limp as one of the stuffed animals that littered the floor of Allen's room._

" _Kuro?"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

" _Kuro?"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

" _Kuro!"_

 _..._

 _Oliver winced as another heavy blow landed on his back, breaking the skin and causing the crystalline red blood to flow._

" _Fr-francois-"_

" _Shut up." The frenchman growled as he raised the weapon again. Oliver tried to scurry underneath the table, but Francois grabbed him by his long, strawberry blonde locks and jerked him back, causing the brit to squeal in pain._

" _P-please let me go...It hurts..."_

" _No." Francois planted a kick in the blonde's side. Over and over until he was bruised black and blue. Pale skin filled with red and purple stains as Oliver curled up into a ball on the floor, shaking and crying._

" _Weak." Kick. "You're weak." Kick. "Disgusting." Kick. Oliver moaned in pain, glossy tears rolling down bruised cheeks and landing with small drips on the carpet. "F-Francois... please..." He screeched in pain as Francois lifted him by the hair once more, pulling his head up to face him and nearly ripping the strawberry blonde strands out of their sockets._

" _Nobody can help you anymore, Oliver. You're weak, pathetic, useless. A lost cause." Francois let go, letting Oliver's head smash limply to the floor, several strands of strawberry floating slowly after him. Oliver lay still, tears still leaking from his eye sockets. Francois looked at him with satisfaction._

" _My greatest work of art, non?"_

 _He left the room, leaving Oliver twitching on the carpet._

 _..._

 _Oliver lay in bed, bandages wrapped around his torso, head, and legs. These were slowly darkening, blood seeping through them and staining them a delicious shade of crimson. It was pitiful, him lying here like this, he needed to move, needed to get away from his house, needed to go back to where he belonged. This house, where it once held so much appeal, now disgusted him, smelling of cigarettes and cheap wine, as well as so many mixed perfumes of the girls that Francois brought home, oh, maybe, every single night, and some spicy scent that Oliver had been drawn to when he first met the frenchman, but now he thought it was too cloying, and it smelled too seductive for his taste. Useless pheromones that he had no use for. The very bed he was lying in had been steeped in this scent, the spicy, seductive scent he recognized, as well as many other scents, sweet, sour, bitter, and sharp. He could make out a few individual ones that stood out strongly to him. The smell of fermented sugar. Vinegar. Cherry. Cinnamon. Mint. He used to love these scents, but now they reminded him of the relationship he so desperately wanted, but could never have. With a groan of displeasure, he slid out of the bed and onto the floor. As he struggled to stand, only one thought went through his head, and it coursed through his very being._

 _Bake. He wanted to bake._

 _Oliver hissed with pain as he reached for the cinnamon, which he had foolishly decided to keep on the top shelf. He sprinkled a few teaspoons of the red powder into the mix before struggling to screw on the cap. He placed it back on the countertop and grabbed his special bottles of vanilla and mint, sprinkling the aromatics into the speckled batter. Smiling with satisfaction, Oliver beat the batter for a few minutes, wincing slightly at the physical movement. He set the bowl back on the table and went to grab a cup, filling the glass with water. Glancing around to make nobody was watching, he pulled a small container from inside his vest pocket and snapped it open. Inside were pills of every shape and size, from red and blue to pristine white. He carefully selected three white pills and added them to the water, watching as they dissolved almost instantly, leaving the water tainted. He poured this deadly mixture into the batter and stirred it until it was all one color. He then ladled this into cute pink wrappers before placing it in the oven and turned the dial to 350 degrees fahrenheit._

" _Ah, this'll be worth it."_

 _..._

 _Francois came in just as Ollie was placing the final touch of pastel blue frosting on the last cupcake. He sneered as Oliver cheerfully added pastel blue nonpareils to the top of the baked good and placed it on a quaint white saucer. "Oh, perfect time! I made this for you. To symbolize our love." Oliver batted his eyelashes and handed the plate to Francois, who eyed it suspiciously before taking a bite._

" _You see, this cupcake, like loving you, appears wonderful at first glance, and you can't help but want to enjoy it."_

 _Francois popped the whole cupcake in his mouth and swallowed it, before starting to stiffen up and fall to the floor, convulsing wildly. Oliver pretended to pay no attention and continued to talk._

" _But, like our love, underneath the pretty exterior, there's an ugly side that's pure poison."_

 _Francois started to choke, his pallid face growing redder and redder as he struggled to breathe._

" _And too much poison can be deadly, yes? I don't know how I managed to survive this long." Oliver let out a dramatic sigh, and looked down at Francois' body, smiling wildly._

" _And when there's poison, there's bound to be a corpse."_

 _..._

" _Gilbert?"_

" _Mmhmm?" Gilbert didn't look up from the video game he was playing. He was about to beat level 28 and didn't really need distractions right now._

" _It's Gilbird..."_

" _So?" The albino slammed the remote down in frustration as his character was eaten by a red octopus-creature. "Verdammt!"_

" _He's...um...kind of... made a nest in my hair, and he won't leave." Gilbert turned to see a furiously blushing Matthew and a happily tweeting Gilbird. He chuckled, standing up to tend to the yellow bird. "Move it. Hey. Come on, Gilbird." He placed his hand on Matthew's head to shoo Gilbird away, but he quickly turned to mussing Matthew's hair. "Heh, no wonder he wanted to nest in it, this shit's soft." Matthew's face turned even redder as his fingers brushed against his curl, but Gilbert didn't notice. "How do you get your hair so soft?" "Um, I use conditioner." Matthew mumbled, his face becoming the shade of a beet. "Reeeeeally? I should start using conditioner too, if mein awesome hair could become as soft as this." He ruffled Matthew's hair one final time before going back to his position on the floor._

" _Hey, Birdie, you wanna play video games with me?" Gilbert craned his neck back to look at Matthew from an upside down position._

" _S-sure." Matthew sat down next to him and picked up the controller gratefully. "What are we playing?" "Mario Kart."_

 _..._

" _Verdammt! How are you so fucking good at this? The awesome me has never been beaten before!" Gilbert screamed, his face burrowed in the carpet and controller tossed aside._

" _I play with Alfred. You know how he is at video games."_

" _You still beat me 50 races in a row." Gilbert mumbled._

" _What's my reward?" Matthew asked innocently. Gilbert looked up at him. "Reward?" Matthew leaned over him, smirking. "For beating you so much. I get a reward for winning, don't I?" In response, Gilbert grabbed his cheeks with both hands and pulled him in for a long, slow kiss. By the time they broke away, Matthew's cheeks were flushed and he was panting. "That enough of a reward for you?" Gilbert flipped over onto his back like a turtle, smirking. "Yes." Matthew gasped, pink with pleasure. He grabbed the controller again._

" _Best out of 60?"_

 **Warning: Shameless advertising starts here.**

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 **Seriously though, check it out, I think you guys would like it a lot.**

 **Peace, love, pasta, and beer,**

 **-Aria**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi! Sorry I haven't been able to update lately, I've been reeeeeeally busy!**

Flavio hummed to himself as the scissors snipped through the olive green fabric, almost cheerily. It was almost Christmas, he needed to do this fast. He had... nine outfits to make in thirteen days. He could do it, he wasn't called the Fashionista of Italy for nothing. Sighing contentedly, he picked up the needle and threaded it, sticking the sharp point into the green cloth with a vengeance. He sewed mindlessly for a while, trying to become absorbed into his work. It wasn't working.

"Focus, Flavi, focus. You can't let your mind wander when you've almost reached your goal."

He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, adjusted his sunglasses, and began again.

...

Ivan hummed absentmindedly as he played with the hair of the small boy in his lap. The small platinum strands twisted between his fingers as the boy relaxed. It was one of the more boring days at the prison, and the air prickled with a slight chill.

"I-Ivan?"

"Yes, Finny?" An affectionate nickname that Ivan had given the small boy, Tino had taken to it, imprinted it, if you will.

"H-How many m-more days unt-til Christmas?"

"Ten." Ivan held up ten gloved fingers. "Ten more days, da?"

"Yes." Tino closed his eyes and lay back on Ivan's lap. "I am sleepy."

"Aren't we all? It is very boring in this prison." Ivan looked up at the puffy, slightly greyish clouds covering the sky above him.

"It should snow soon." He said, still playing with Tino's hair. "I l-like the snow." Tino agreed. "It is v-very fun to p-play in." "I agree, da? Snow is a very nice thing, but it can also be terribly cruel." "Hmm. I s-suppose." Tino shifted his position a little bit, and Ivan chuckled.

"You are a very timid thing, very breakable, da?"

"N-no. Just to you."

...

Oliver sighed, looking down at the tenderly sleeping form below him. Did everyone look younger when they slept? Allen looked fragile. Paper-thin skin contrasting with his auburn hair, red striped pajamas hanging off of his skinny figure.

"White doesn't suit you." Oliver murmured, stroking one finger across the man's cheek. "You belong in black. Midnight black." He moved some stray locks off of Allen's forehead, sighing. "I don't like seeing you like this. It hurts my heart." Oliver's blue eyes began to shine as tears filled them. "You deserve to be full of life. You deserve to be out of this hellhole. You don't need to be here." One tear stained Allen's blanket. Then another, and another. "Why does this always happen to the best people? Or at the very least, the people who don't deserve it?" He rested his chin on Allen's chest and let the tears flow out of his eye sockets freely.

"Ollie?"

Oliver jerked his head up and wiped his eyes on his sleeve hurriedly.

"Oh, Allen! H-hello, poppet! Um, I'm going to go over there." Oliver was about to leave when he felt an arm grab his sleeve.

"Were you crying?"

"No." Oliver tried to hide his red eyes and put a brave smile on his face. "I'm fine, poppet."

"Okay. As l-l-l-long as Ollie's o-okay, I'm happy." And he fell asleep again. Oliver just stared at him.

"Allen..."

...

" _Hey, Ivan! You're finally back! How was your day?!"_

 _Pop._

" _Fine, how was yours?"_

" _Awesome! I totally beat this guy's ass in video games today!"_

 _Pop._

" _That sounds...fun."_

" _It totally was!"_

 _Pop._

" _Can you stop popping your gum?"_

" _Why? Is it bothering you?"_

 _Pop._

" _Yes."_

" _Too bad. I need it, I'm kinda stressed at the moment."_

 _Pop._

" _Stop doing that!"_

" _But it's fun!"_

 _Pop._

" _If you do that one more time, I'm going to have to smash your face in with my magic pipe..."_

" _Yeah, sure, bro."_

 _Pop._

" _I warned you..."_

" _Ivan? W-wait, get away from me! Ivan!"_

Smash.

 **Reviews are good things!**

 **Peace, love, pasta, and beer,**

 **-Aria**


	18. Chapter 18

**Yay! One week until Christmas (where I live)! I shall be trying to post a special Christmas chapter on the day before or after. Merry (Insert holiday you celebrate here)!**

"It's almost Christmas! Yay, food and actually being able to walk around in something other than pajamas!" Oliver sang, skipping around the dorm like an excited schoolboy.

"Calm the fuck down." Luciano hissed, pouting. He was wearing (reluctantly) another one of Flavio's outfits, a brown jacket and pants with a white shirt. In all honestly, it was better than pajamas.

"Let him be excited, Luci, it _is_ almost Christmas." Flavio said absentmindedly, stitching away at a misshapen lump of black cloth.

"Who's that for?" Luci hissed, trying to get the happy british man in a headlock.

"Ivan. Black is the color that works best on him." Flavio said simply, still stitching. Luciano narrowed his eyes.

"How many of these do you have to make?" "Seven now. I just finished Arthur and Roderich's." Flavio gestured to a pile of shirts and jeans that lay neatly pressed in the corner.

"How'd you get all the fabric?" Oliver wondered, poking one of the stuffed animals in the corner. When it failed to produce movement, he growled.

"That one lady that guards the ward is real sweet." Flavio replied.

"Can I borrow a pair of your scissors?"

Without a second thought, Flavio handed a pair of his sharpest shears to the happy blonde, who squealed.

"I don't see why you have to make clothing for everyone in the prison." Luciano scoffed, tugging at his collar.

"Not the whole prison. Just the people in Cell Block D." Flavio snipped a loose thread from the hem of the shirt before holding it up to inspect his handiwork.

"Why just them? Are they special or something?" Oliver asked innocently, still brandishing the pointy objects. Luciano glanced over at him to see that he had cut off on of the teddy bear's arms.

"Well, you see, my friend, when you have a whole lot of beautiful men in one place, you can't help but want to dress them up prettily. Especially if the only clothing they have is that tacky orange jumpsuit." Flavio pursed his lips slightly and pulled a long swath of purple fabric from who-knows-where.

"When I see a lot of pretty men, I just want to sever their limbs from their bodies and cover them in pink frosting." Oliver said innocently. "Can I borrow a needle and thread?" Flavio just threw it at him without even looking as he traced a shirt pattern on the orchid purple.

"Oliver, what the fuck are you doing?" Luciano stared at the perky blond with disgust. The teddy bear's arms and head were now lying on the floor, and there was a huge gash in the bear's stomach, which Oliver was now stitching up neatly. He looked up at Luci with wide, innocent eyes.

"It helps me calm down."

Luciano just rolled his eyes and kicked one of the dismembered arms closer to Oliver with his foot. Oliver grabbed it and stuck the black thread through the tender pink fabric. "I like destroying things and then repairing them. But destroying is more fun." He started to hum absentmindedly as he worked. Luciano blinked, then turned back to Flavio.

"Anyway, you seem like a pervert when you talk like that." Flavio simply winked and grinned. "Call it what you like."

...

"The knife goes in, the knife goes out."

Ivan sang to himself as he rocked Tino back and forth.

"I'll stab until you scream and shout."

Tino smiled as he fell asleep, soothed by the Russian's surprisingly high voice.

"I'll pour your organs on the floor."

Ivan had a very pleasant singing voice, it was a pity he didn't use it more often.

"And then you won't scream any more."

He chuckled when he saw that the small boy was completely asleep, his head lolling as Ivan swayed. "You little, fragile being." Ivan lifted him up and carried him out of the yard and back into his cell, where he laid him on the bed.

"I am afraid to touch you, for fear you might break."

He pulled the covers out from under him and tucked them under his chin.

"Ah, but is it my fault that I break everything I touch?"

He stroked one hand across the boy's pale cheek, which was surprisingly soft, for prison standards.

"You're like a little doll." Ivan murmured, pale fingers sifting through blonde hair and across tender cheeks. "You remind me of Raivis, you are around the same age too." He sighed, and removed his hand from Tino's forehead.

"Toris and Eduard, those are Raivis' cousins, do not approve of me hanging around him. They call me dangerous. I guess they were right, this time."

Ivan left the cell silently, closing the door behind him. He didn't bother to lock it, Tino didn't have anywhere to run to anymore. He entered his own cell and tucked himself into bed, not even bothering to close the door anymore.

"Ever since Toni got rid of all the locks in this place, everything has been a lot more...free-form." He said to himself, just before he fell asleep.

...

"WAKE THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW!"

Ivan opened his eyes groggily. "C-comrade Matthew? What is being the matter?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THE FUCKING MATTER IS THEY ARE MAKING PANCAKES FOR BREAKFAST GET THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW." Matthew screeched, running up and down the hallway of the cell block and throwing everyone's doors open.

"EVERYONE. UP. NOW. THE SOONER WE'RE ALL UP, THE SOONER WE GET PANCAKES."

"Shut up, Matthew! You're giving me a bloody migraine!" Arthur yelled back, adding to the din. Antonio sat up, smacking his lips and mumbling to himself in spanish. "It's too early, amigo."

"IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY FOR PANCAKES." Matthew screamed. Ivan stood up, stormed out of his cell, and grabbed Matthew by the neck.

"Tino is still sleeping. If you keep yelling, I shall personally be forced to remove your head from your body, da?" Matthew nodded eagerly, and Ivan dropped him with a thud.

"Now we shall all go back to sleep until they all wake us up for real, da?"

"Yes, Ivan."

"Yes, Ivan."

"Sure, amigo."

"I can't bloody go to sleep now that I have a migraine!"

"Arthur..."

"Yes, Ivan."

...

Matthew sourly stuffed a bite of pancake into his mouth while glaring at everyone and mumbling to himself.

"Figures they'd run out of maple syrup...last ones here...if we'd gotten up earlier..."

"Matthew, shut up." Arthur hissed, rubbing his temples. Tino popped a bite of pancake in his mouth and yawned sleepily. "D-Does Mattie like maple s-syrup?"

"Too much, if you ask me." Arthur replied, cutting into one of the flat pastries. They weren't very good, they didn't have much sugar or butter, but pancakes were pancakes.

"H-how many more d-days until Christmas?"

"Seven." Ivan held up seven fingers.

"I can't wait." Tino smiled, eating another bite of pancake.


	19. Chapter 19

**40 followers! And 86 reviews! OH MY GOD! I never expected this! Thank all of you! I couldn't have done this at all without you~!**

"Why is this so hard?" Flavio whined, pricking his finger with the needle he was using for the fifth time. "Stupid cheap needles, it's so hassling having to hand-sew everything." "You literally have a sewing machine right next to you!" Luciano hissed, trying to wrestle Oliver into submission.

"Oliver, would you stand still for one tiny second?" "Nononono!" Oliver squirmed out of Luci's grip once again and ran into the black portal that was the bedroom door. Luciano collapsed in frustration. "Great, now we're _never_ getting him out of there. He has too many hiding places." He growled.

"What were you trying to do?" Flavio asked, lowering his eyelids and smirking. "Shut the fuck up. Honestly, he's _such_ a child. Idiotic." "You still haven't answered my question." "I was trying to get him to give up that _stupid_ teddy bear he treasures so much. It's completely torn apart, oozing stuffing all over the place, but he keeps saying he'll fix it."

"That's his comfort item, _mio fratello,_ you shouldn't try to take it away from him." "Why? There's like five gazillion teddy bears all over the fucking room. We can just get him another one." "Because he wants _that_ one." "You make no sense sometimes." "It's my job." Flavio hissed in pain as he stabbed himself with the needle again. " _Cazzo!"_

...

" _Tomate, tomate, mi bonita tomate..."_

Antonio hummed to himself as he ran the length of the prison's dirt track, his breathing heavy. Physical fitness days were never his favorite, but he managed to get through them with effort.

"... _te amo, mi bonita tomate..."_

"How do you...get through this...Antonio?" Arthur jogged up next to him, panting. "It is fun to be able to run around, everyone enjoys it a little! Look at Mattie!" The normally shy canadian was racing around the track at top speed, not even seeming to get tired.

"Is he...is he beating Ivan?" "Looks like it." Antonio chuckled, then stopped to catch his breath, Arthur standing alongside him. "Oh my. I'm rather scared of him now." "Remind me never to play any sports against him." "He says he enjoys hockey." "Enjoys it? Probably more like 'beats the crap out of anyone who dares to go against him at it'." "I never would have expected it, he's so small." "Rather weak too."

"H-hey, Toni, you wanna race?" Matthew jogged up to the two without breaking a sweat, leaving Ivan in the dust. "Not today, thanks." Antonio smiled and began to jog again. "Arthur?" "Sorry, Matthew, I'd like to live to see my thirtieth birthday." The canadian frowned in disappointment. "Another time then." He turned on his heel and jogged back to Ivan. "Hey, Ivan! Rematch?"

...

"Oh my, that's wonderful. Lovi must have enjoyed this a lot." Arthur moaned slightly as Antonio pressed his fingers deeper into his back. "All my muscles ache." He complained, "But this is fantastic." "Me next, da?" Ivan took another deep breath, sitting down and hunched over. Matthew frowned. "Weakling." "What did you call me?" "Nothing, nothing."

"Mmm.." "Arthur, you're falling asleep." "Am I? Sorry." "Ivan's turn." Arthur slid out of the seat in front of Antonio and Ivan took his place, forehead collapsing on the table. "Comrade Antonio has magic fingers." Antonio simply grinned as Ivan began to slip out of consciousness. "Ivan! Ivan! You're getting sleepy!" "Oh, but I cannot help it." "Ivan?" "I think he's sleeping." "Ivan! Wake up!" "Maybe slap him?" "I would not recommend that." "Oh...he's awake after all."

...

" _Flavio? Where am I? And what the hell am I wearing?"_

" _Oh, Andres! You're awake~!"_

" _Flavio, what is this?"_

" _A maid dress."_

" _Why the fuck am I in your basement wearing a maid dress? I was just going to take a nap and...oh."_

" _Hehe. Mi dispiace."_

" _Don't apologize to me, you sick bastard!"_

" _Nighty-night, Andres!"_

" _What are you doing?"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

" _Aw, I got blood all over my new suit."_


	20. Chapter 20: Happy Holidays!

**Wah, I'm sorry I'm so late! Anyways, Happy Holidays to all of you! I really hope you like this chapter, and that you all had a wonderful holiday! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES!**

"Hey."

Ivan blinked a few times, the blurry face of Tino coming into view above him.

"Finny. You are awake."

"M-merry Christmas, Ivan." Ivan felt a tugging sensation, and he sat up. Tino handed him a small wrapped package. "T-this is for you. There's also t-two more a-at the d-door." Ivan gently unwrapped the present, revealing a small bear made out of clay.

"Did you make this?" Tino nodded.

"I-In art class." He blushed slightly, scraping one foot across the prison floor. Ivan studied the clay sculpture. It was cracked in places, with carefully painted eyes and nose. It was shiny, coated in a hardened glaze

"Thank you, Finny. It's beautiful." Ivan set the art project carefully by his bedside and engulfed Tino in a bear hug, crushing the poor boy. "Ivan...y-you're squashing me." "Sorry." Ivan pulled away, smiling sincerely. That smile turned into a frown as he realized something. "I didn't get you anything." Tino took a deep breath.

"Y-you didn't n-need to get me a-anything. E-ever since I c-came here, y-you've been like a b-big brother to me. I d-didn't even a-ask, you j-just decided to t-take care of me. I'm r-really g-grateful to y-you, Ivan."

This time, Tino started the hug, and Ivan saw a tear, just one, leak out of the corner of his eye. It was probably the longest sentence Tino had ever said in english, and it was for him.

"Finny...that's so sweet of you." Ivan ruffled his hair, causing the fifteen year old boy to grin. "I'm g-gonna go give L-Ludwig his present."

"I haven't seen a lot of him lately. I wonder why." Ivan thought out loud as he watched the boy disappear from sight. He turned his attention to the other two packages. The first one was rather small, and kind of squishy. He unwrapped it gingerly, to see a small canvas, on which was painted a sunflower. The detail was immaculate, down to small holes eaten in the petals by bugs. There was a letter attached to the back. Ivan flipped it over and read it, cringing slightly.

 _Dear Vanya,_

 _I worked on this painting for you for two whole months. I wanted you to have a happy christmas, wherever you are now. Raivis, Toris, Eduard, and Irunya send their regards._

 _-Natalya_

 _P.S: Can you get married in prison?_

Ivan sighed at the well intentioned but slightly creepy letter. She meant well. Hopefully. There was a nail jutting out above his head. He would hang it there later. He picked up the other package. This one was definitely squishy. A note was taped onto the front.

 _Dear Ivan,_

 _I took the liberty of making you all christmas presents! I really hope you like them, I worked hard on them. You'll find that they'll fit fine, but if they need any adjustments, just come to me, okay?_

 _-Flavio_

"You've got to be bloody kidding me!" Arthur's voice rang out shrilly across the block. "I was _joking_ when I said clothing would be a good Christmas present!" This sent the whole block into fits of laughter. Ivan opened his own package to find a simple pair of slacks and a black polo shirt. They did indeed look to be his own size, so he quickly got dressed. Somebody had put a small tree up in the foyer, and everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Arthur smirked, the guards unlocking his cell door to lead him to the cafeteria. Ivan smiled warmly at his own guard, who, for the first time, smiled back, unlocking his door with a twist of the key. "Merry Christmas, Ivan." He whispered, leading him without much fuss. "You too." Ivan replied, letting his friends catch up to him.

...

Flavio sighed with delight as he peered out of the window attached to his door. The outfits he had made them fitted them _perfectly._ The guards said that their Christmas presents would come very soon. Hopefully Roland would have sent him something nice, he missed him terribly. Who would've guessed the two would have met up at Lutz's funeral? There was the small matter of Lutz having cheated on Luciano with Roland, but that was only a small obstacle. Luciano didn't even bother to show up to said funeral, something about _Wanting to cover his tracks_ or something ridiculous like that. Roland wasn't even upset about the death of his partner, and seemed _much_ more interested in the blonde italian man two seats over. Flavio sighed again, fogging up the glass with his breath.

"Oi! _Igirisu_!" He called back. Oliver winced at the nickname. "Please don't call me that." "I made you something." Flavio thrust a wrapped package into Oliver's arms with force. "Open it! Please? _Por favore?"_ He gave Oliver the big puppy eyes until the strawberry blonde man finally tore the wrapping paper open with a happy squeal.

"You made me a sweater vest? And a bow tie? How _sweeeet_ of you!" Oliver wrapped the italian man in a bear hug, pressing his cheek against his. Flavio hugged him back. "Now go get changed. I want to make sure it all fits you perfectly."

"These aren't booby-trapped, are they?" Oliver questioned, regarding Flavio's unusual sense of humor.

"You mean, are the clothes that I gave everyone secretly outfitted with small microchips that will turn them all into my mindless slaves? No, just Christmas presents." Flavio ruffled Oliver's hair, and pointed him in the direction of the bathrooms, watching him intently as he ran toward them with all the grace of a fighter jet. "You are such a cutie!" He whispered under his breath. "You'll look so cute in the clothing I made _especially for you."_

Oliver returned a few minutes later, positively beaming as he adjusted the bright blue bow tie around his neck. "There's two packages by the door. I think there's one for each of us." Flavio pointed out, scooping up the one with florescent yellow wrapping. "Yep, this one's for you. From somebody named Matt." He tossed the offensively colored gift to Ollie and picked up the other one, this one swaddled in a cradle of brown paper.

"There's an iPod inside!" Oliver squealed, hugging the small piece of tech to his chest. He scrolled through the playlist, his smile turning sour as he read the names of each song.

" _I Can't Decide? Awoken? The Rainbow Factory? Centipede? Matryoshka?_ Is this his idea of a joke?" Flavio snickered. "What's so bad about those songs?" "They're all about some form of insanity. He probably thought it would be funny, since I'm in a mental hospital." He pushed the earbuds furiously into his ears and pressed shuffle. "Still, the music is pretty good."

Flavio tore open his own package. Inside was a soft blue scarf and a letter.

 **Dear Flavio** ,

 **I don't really know you personally, but Roland said I should send this to you**. _Great idea, Rolly._ Flavio thought, rolling his eyes.

 **Gilen died last week** , _Tell me something I don't know,_ Flavio scoffed, **so he's been rather distraught**. _That little liar._ Flavio smiled. **He never comes out of his room anymore. I sent you this on behalf of him. He did disappear last week, for a couple hours**. **I wonder where he went**. _Me too._ Flavio thought this mystery person was hilarious. **Sorry, I'm rambling again. Anyway, Roland picked this out himself. He hopes you like it.**

 **-Voss**

Flavio decided to just keep the scarf and forget all about this useless "Voss" character. He didn't really have any place in his games, so it would be better for him to cease existing forever. He'd get Rolly to slip some quick-acting poison in his morning coffee later.

"Aw, Merry Christmas, all of you!" The guard (Flavio had found out a bit earlier that her name was Julia) opened the heavy door and squealed happily, complimenting all the "fabulous" outfits she had seen while minding the "adorable residents of Cell Block D."

"Come on, you two! You get to roam around the prison _all day!_ Isn't that amazing?" She let Flavio and Oliver out of the cell, then called for Luciano to hurry and finish changing. The man emerged a few minutes later, scowling as he tugged at the collar of his dark brown polo shirt.

"Aw! Don't the both of you look simply _adorable?!"_ Julia squealed, pinching Oliver's cheek. Oliver smiled weakly. It was in his best interests to just go along with the guard's opinions, so he replied "If you say so, Julia."

"Are you three ready for breakfast?" The blonde woman's eyes twinkled with excitement. Flavio almost felt bad for deceiving her so often.

Almost.

Three heads nodded up and down, eliciting another high pitched sound of amusement from Julia. She pushed the heavy vault door open with a small grunt, letting the three inmates roam the hallways down to the large, empty (for now) room. Flavio got in the cafeteria line with a dazed expression, letting the guards fill his plate with a few pancakes (no bacon please, the grease causes breakouts) and some orange slices. He ate quickly, then proceeded to stare at the wall, letting his thoughts drift to a certain auburn haired Austrian. The doors burst open to reveal a bunch of laughing, carefree, happy inmates. The cheery men filled their plates before sitting down an Flavio's table, shoving each other and cheeks cherry red. Flavio's dazed daydreams turned to excited cooing as he examined the outfits he had designed, admiring the way each man filled them with muscle. Call him a pervert, he liked that view.

"Alright alright alright, hello everyone!" Julia called, standing at the back of the cafeteria and attracting their table's attention (each cell block ate separately to avoid conflict between petty thieves and cold-blooded killers). "Please finish eating and head out to the play yard! We're going to play a game!"

"What do you think this game will be?" Ivan asked Ludwig, choking down his bacon. "I don't know, but I want to be on Matthew's team." Was the reply.

...

"How did you get all of our measurements?" Arthur asked Flavio as the group divided into two teams for the game (dodgeball).

"They had them in the office. It was easy, the guard is so trusting and sweet." Flavio replied, studying the british man up and down.

"Olive green is your color."

Arthur blushed, not used to this kind of attention from somebody other than Francis. "Thanks, I guess." "No problem." Flavio wetted his lips slightly with his tongue. "Don't you think that dodgeball is a little dangerous for a prison game?"

Arthur watched as Matthew hurled a foam missile towards Roderich, who crumpled like a paper doll once it found its target.

"Yes."

The two teams (Matthew, Antonio, Oliver, Ivan and Tino against Ludwig, Roderich, Arthur, Flavio, and Luciano) were unevenly divided in terms of strength, but who could argue with Matthew and Ludwig as captains? Arthur tried his best to stay out of the way, never being one for physical activity, as Ivan, Oliver, and Matthew flung fiery, squishy projectiles of doom towards them.

Flavio calmly caught a ball with two hands, taking aim and throwing it towards Antonio, who ducked and grabbed the rebound. He chose to aim it at Luciano, who jumped forward out of the way, rolling to a stop on his hands and heels with all the grace of a mafioso. He snatched a ball out of Ludwig's hands and chucked it at Tino, which was intercepted and returned by Ivan. It hit Arthur square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. 2-0.

Flavio grabbed another ball and hurled it to Oliver, who grabbed it out of thin air and gracefully launched it towards Ludwig, hitting him in the small of his back. 3-0.

"We have to stop losing!" Luciano whispered to Flavio. Flavio studied the three powerhouses, wincing as they all turned their focus on them.

"Look, they all have motion patterns." Flavio braced himself to dive out of the way as the three started scooping up balls, Antonio joining in. "Ivan always steps before he throws. Oliver tends to spin around after he throws a ball. Matthew gets a little disoriented if his target misses." Luciano blinked.

And a rain of dodgeballs came pounding down upon them.

Flavio dodged five targets and scooped up a dodgeball. Matthew did indeed look rather disoriented, as if he wasn't used to missing, so Flavio took the opening and catapulted a ball towards him. It hit him in the solar plexus, causing a little puff of air to expel from his lungs. 3-1. He heard a victory cry from behind, and he saw Ivan trudging back to the bench, rubbing his arm.

"You take Antonio and Finny!" Flavio called to Luciano. "I'll whittle down Cupcake." "Don't tell me what to do!" Luciano called back, but he trained his eyes on the spaniard and the trembling finn.

Oliver stared at Flavio, his trademark grin spreading up his cheeks. "Just you and me, eh, Flavi?" In response, Flavio chucked a ball at his head. Oliver dodged and started picking up balls and throwing them in a continual spray, aiming for the Italian's head, stomach, arms, legs, face. Flavio narrowly missed one that went for his cheek, but then got smacked in the face by another one.

"Nice hit, Tino!" Oliver called back to the shaking boy. Tino nodded, the trembling exterior giving way to a satisfied smirk.

" _Cazzo."_ Flavio swore, heading back to the bench. Luciano was on his own. He was about to pick up another ball and aim it at that _idiot_ with a pink sweater vest when he was hit in the leg with an airborne projectile.

" _¡Lo hice!_ I did it!" Antonio cheered, high fiving Oliver. "Great job, Toni!" Oliver smirked at the scowling brothers, who flipped him off and turned their backs on him.

"Like brother, like other brother." Was the response for that, and they all trudged into the cafeteria for hot chocolate. Arthur wanted to get back in desperately, he was sore and wanted out of the bitter cold.

...

"What did they give you for christmas?" Matthew inquired, sipping his hot chocolate slowly. "A book. _Wuthering Heights."_ Arthur replied. "A pair of mittens." Ivan replied. "A sock monkey." Antonio said with a grin. "Sketchpad." Ludwig muttered. Roderich declined to reply, he was massaging his stomach and wincing. "Cool." Luciano said bitterly. He was still rather grumpy over their team's win in dodgeball.

"Aw, come off it, Luci, it's only a game." Arthur said, but Luci just grunted and took another gulp of the burning hot drink.

"Well, it's been fun, but Luci and I, as well as Blondie over here, have to get back to the ward. They'll kill us if we're late." Flavio stood up and brushed himself off. "Can't we stay a bit longer?" Oliver whined. "No. Come on." Luciano grabbed his arm and tugged it forcefully, causing the blue eyed man to let out a cry of pain.

"Bye bye! Merry Christmas! Have a great day!" Flavio said cheerfully as he retreated, ignoring the mewling of Oliver and the yelling of Luci.

"You too!" A chorus of voices said cheerfully.

...

"Aw, you look so cute when you're sleeping."

Flavio fingered the pair of shears he was holding as he stared down at his brother's sleeping form.

"I've been waiting for this for _so long._ " He crooned, slipping on his faithful pair of white cotton gloves.

Without another word, he stabbed the shears into the middle of Luciano's neck.


	21. Chapter 21

**100 REVIEWS! WE HAVE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! Grazie, grazie, all of you, I couldn't have made it this far without you!**

 **Also, if you have the time, check out A Broken Imagi-NATION's story "Visiting Day." It's set in my Prison!AU, and it peeks into the personal life of Flavio. She's such a good writer, it was a lovely Christmas present~**

The next morning, the guards awoke to a loud, high pitched scream.

They rushed at top speed to the Psych Ward, the source of the sound. The door was unlocked, to their surprise, and a little red stain dotted the floor below them.

" _Mio fratello! Mio fratello!_ Help, somebody!"

The guards burst through the door to see a wailing Flavio, tears making tracks down his cheeks, kneeling on the floor.

"Guards! Oh, thank god! _Mio fratello,_ something happened to him!" Flavio pointed one trembling finger towards the bedrooms, more tears making their way down his creamy cheeks. The guards cautiously tiptoed into the darkened room, flashlights fumbling and switching on. The beams played over the neatly folded bedsheets, before catching sight of a mangled figure lying limp on one of the bedframes. They crept closer. The figure made no move to stop them. The light illuminated red stains marring the pale white duvet, causing one of the men to retch.

"What happened to him?"

The answer, as they soon found out, was not pretty.

Luciano's corpse had been ravaged and torn apart beyond repair. The corners of his mouth had been brutally stitched into a smile, a painful grimace, with baby blue thread. One of his eyes was missing, replaced by a bright pink button. The body itself was pockmarked with gashes, small ones, large ones dripping plasma. The stomach had been slashed, causing the internal organs encased within it to spill out over the bed. The wrists were mangled as well, small cuts creating one huge wound that was still dripping. But worst of all was the throat. It had been repeatedly punctured by some large object, ripped red flesh oozing pus and revealing lacerated vocal flaps.

"How could anybody do this to him? He was my baby _fratello!_ He didn't deserve to die!" Flavio wailed. "It was probably one of those Cell Block D characters! He spent too much time around them anyway, and they're all killers!" The guards immediately raced to the cell block where the alleged killers were kept. As soon as they left, Flavio wiped the tears from his eyes and straightened up.

"Sorry, Luci sweetie, but this is the fate traitors receive." He gingerly patted the corpse's hair, smirking.

Oliver peered out from behind the corner, sighing. He never should have agreed to help Flavio with this plan of his. He had really gone to town on poor Luci, he didn't even deserve it. Oliver stared at his fingertips, removing an itty-bitty speck of dried blood from his ring fingernail. He always made sure to clean up carefully after having a little fun, but he was so absentminded last night that the small dot must have slipped from his focus.

"Oh, Ollie! _What_ a tragedy!" Flavio cried out. He really was a good actor. "I can't believe one of his _friends_ would have done that to him. I bet it was Antonio. Such a nice boy, I can't believe he would do that to poor, _poor_ Luciano!" Oliver just turned his head and tried to force down the maniacal smile that was starting to bloom on his face. _No, no, no! Do not let me stoop to his level! I have to keep my humanity, I can't lose what little shreds of it I have left._

"Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Cell Block D _murderers_ did... _this..."_ Flavio waved a hand at the mess that once was Luciano, "To my baby brother. I've been noticing my needles going missing for a while now..and my thread..."

...

"'Tonio?"

" _Si?"_

"There are some very angry men yelling your name outside in the hallway. I think they are looking for you."

True to Ivan's word, three armed guards burst into the room and headed straight to Antonio's cell. They pulled it open and grabbed Antonio's arms, pulling them behind his back.

"Alright, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, you've gone too far."

" _Que?_ What did I do?" Antonio looked puzzled. "Don't play dumb."

"Eh, he's not playing." Arthur said half-heartedly, yawning and stretching his arms. "What's all this about?"

"Search his cell." The first guard directed, then turned to face Arthur. "Antonio has murdered one of the inhabitants of Cell Block F, Luciano Vargas, in cold blood."

"Toni wouldn't do that!" Arthur protested. "He really isn't _that_ idiotic!" Antonio nodded in agreement, earning a cuff to the head. "Shut up, Kirkland."

"We found these in his cell, sir." One of the guards held up a sewing needle, the tip a rusty red, a spool of pink sewing thread, and a kitchen knife, the tip matching the shade of the needle.

"Enough evidence." The guard smiled.

"Wait! You need to check for fingerprints first!" Arthur blurted out. The guard cocked an eyebrow. "Don't tell me how to do my job, Kirkland." He turned to one of the other guards. "Make sure you _do_ check it for fingerprints." Arthur huffed. "Wanker."

"We'll be keeping Toni in solitary confinement from now on, until we find him guilty."

"What happens if you find him guilty?" Ivan questioned. The guard cracked a small smile.

"Well then, if we find him guilty, Toni will be executed."

...

Toni didn't like it in solitary confinement.

It was cold. And dark. And lonely. And boring.

The food was even worse than the regular prison food. The bed was even more uncomfortable than the regular prison bed. The guards were meaner than the regular prison guards.

Basically, it was his regular life, made ten times worse.

He yawned again and tucked his knees up to his chin.

 _No. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo does not cry._

Despite his coaching and coaxing, Antonio couldn't help but let out sob as he pressed his forehead into his knees.

...

Flavio smirked as he watched Antonio being forced out of his Cell Block, arms held behind his back, cheeks flushed red.

"I didn't do it, I swear!"

"Tell it to the judge." The guards hissed, and he was pushed out of sight. Flavio turned to his pink haired associate, who was gutting his teddy bear again. The poor thing was starting to become more of a hodgepodge of stuffing and stitches than an actual shape.

"You wore a glove when you placed the knife?"

A nod.

"And the footage from the office?"

"Deleted." Oliver whispered.

"Good."

There was no reply.

"Eh, Ollie, what's wrong?"

Flavio walked over to Oliver and tilted his chin up. The man's bright blue eyes were wet with tears, but he was smiling like a psychopath.

"I _liked it._ It was... _intoxicating_. I haven't had fun like that for a while."

He buried his head in his hands and gave a small sob, his smile still visible from this position.

"Is it wrong of me?"

Flavio cupped the man's cheek in both hands. Whilst Oliver's teary eyes glinted in the fluorescent light, Flavio's shone out of calculation and sadistic happiness.

"Absolutely not."

"But I thought we were trying to get better. So we didn't have to stay here anymore." Oliver sniffled like a small child and clutched his teddy bear in a death grip. Flavio smirked.

"My dear, dear, _dear_ Ollie. Who _wants_ to be cured of insanity?"


	22. Chapter 22

"How are we going to do this again?"

Arthur clasped and unclasped his hands together as the six comrades gathered together in the courtyard.

"Toni hid his lockpicks in his pillow. Tonight we sneak out and try to break him out."

"Won't we get caught? The security's increased tenfold over there."

"Dammit. I didn't think of that." Arthur's caterpillar brows furrowed as he tried to come up with an idea to break Antonio out of his cell.

"Even if we do manage to get him out, where would he hide? They'd search the whole prison once they figured out he was missing."

"Oh, right. I guess we'll just have to wait until the security footage gets back. Then we can see for real who killed Luciano."

There was silence for a few minutes, before Matthew asked, "Do you miss him?"

"Toni? Yes. Luciano? Kind of."

"He was a worthy opponent in cards." Roderich adjusted his glasses.

"All we can do at this point is behave. Hopefully we can be let out early for good behavior." Ludwig sighed, putting his head in his hands. "This will be hard."

"Do they let us out early for good behavior?"

"Probably. Technically our killings weren't that severe, except for maybe Roderich's or Matthew's. They really went to town on their lovers, da?" Matthew and Roderich let out a simultaneous groan.

"I miss the real world. A concrete courtyard doesn't really provide the same amount of freedom."

"What do you expect? We're in a prison."

...

"Hey! Shut up in there!"

Antonio smiled.

"Why?"

"It's creepy!"

"What is?"

"T-talking to yourself!"

Emerald green eyes blinked slowly as Antonio registered the situation. "I'm not talking to myself! I'm talking to Lovi!"

Antonio thought he could glimpse two honey-gold eyes rolling in their sockets, and a curl bounce as curse words echoed through the air, cutting through the silence like a knife.

"Don't fuss, _mi tomate,_ cursing doesn't suit you."

"Lovi isn't there with you! He's dead!"

Antonio's smile widened. "No he's not. He's right here with me. Forever."

...

"We have news regarding the Antonio situation." The guard said emotionlessly. Ivan looked up, interested.

"The fingerprints found on the knife were not Antonio's."

Arthur let out a sigh of relief. The others voiced agreement.

"Whose were they?"

"We don't know. We'll probably have more information in a couple of days."

"Thank you, officer." Ivan smiled.

"Are you keeping him in solitary still?" Ludwig blinked a few times as if unable to process this news.

"We have no choice but to keep him in. There could be more evidence that leads to a different verdict."

...

"Who's our next target?"

"That depends. Who is easily accessible to us in the next couple of days?"

"That would be the people in Cell Block D."

"Are we going to frame Artie this time?"

"I think so. He's rather bitter, and hold grudges easily. We need to redirect suspicion. Hopefully we can get the heat off us and redirected onto the Cell Block D inmates."

"Who do you think Artie would target in this prison?"

"Hmm...Ludwig."

"Perfect."

"Will you have the job done in the next couple of days?"

"I think so."

 **Nyan, sorry for the short chapter! I've been really busy the last couple of days (read: trying to get on top of the leaderboards for my class in vocabulary). Leave a review please!**

 **-Aria**


	23. Chapter 23

Oliver carefully fingered the knife he held in his fingers. The gloves made it cumbersome to carry, but he figured that he could still do a good job.

 _I'm so sorry, Ludwig, but this is for your own good. Or at least, my own good._

...

"Good night, Ivan, Roderich, Tino, Arthur, Matthew."

"Good night, comrade Ludwig."

"Good night."

"G'night."

"Good night, Ludwig."

"Good night."

Ludwig pulled the covers up to his chin and tried to imagine the warmth of another body pressed up against his own. It didn't work. Ludwig sighed. _Feli, I miss you._

...

Oliver waited until the other inmates were asleep before sneaking into the eerily quiet cell block. His feet were encased in fluffy slippers that matched his pajamas, so he hopefully wouldn't make any noise.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this. Again._

...

Ludwig awoke to the weight of another body pressed on top of his chest.

He couldn't breathe. The weight of the other person was suffocating.

" _W-was-"_

A hand covered his mouth, the thick fingers cutting off any noise Ludwig could have made. "Now now, Ludwig, I'm going to need you to hold still." A voice with an undeniably British accent whispered into his ear.

"Arthur?"

"Very quick, aren't you?" Oliver hissed, his eyes welling up with tears. "Now, this won't hurt a bit."

Ludwig's eyes widened.

...

He lied.

It hurt. So much.

Ludwig's throat felt like it was being torn apart by rabid wolves. Blood was leaking out of the corners of his mouth, he could feel that much.

 _Ve, Luddy, almost there. Just a few more seconds. It won't hurt anymore._

Ludwig's pupils contracted as the voice rang out inside his head, echoing around the caverns of his skull.

 _F-Feli...I'm coming to join you._

...

A pair of violet eyes flickered open, pupils dilating to adjust to the dim light. He thought he heard a small scream, but then a low voice overtook it, talking to the producer of the noise soothingly. The speaker had an unmistakable British accent, and the cooing tone he used made it seem like he was talking to a child.

 _Tino probably had a nightmare again._

Matthew closed his eyes, drifting back to peaceful oblivion.

...

Ludwig didn't want to continue. Something was running down his temple, it felt warm and rather goopy. The metallic scent filled his nostrils, seeping onto his tongue and filling his mouth with red fluid. Why would Arthur do this, of all people? Arthur had always been so nice to him, what was his motive? If only he could tell them, if only he could tell them.

 _So it wasn't Toni after all..._

Ludwig closed his eyes, and gave himself up.

...

"I-Ivan..."

Ivan woke up to Tino standing outside his cell. His eyes were wide with fear, and he was trembling.

"What is it, Finny?"

"Look..."

Ivan's eyes followed Tino's pointing finger. Directly across from him, splayed across the bed, was Ludwig. Or at least, he _thought_ it was Ludwig. He couldn't really tell. The face was mangled beyond belief, looking more like a side of rare beef than what was once a human being. The corners of his mouth were also brutally stitched into a smile, a painful grimace, with blood leaking out the sides. The body had been left untouched, but his throat was almost completely severed, the esophagus torn and slashed.

"Oh my gosh." Ivan tried to force down a wave of bile coming up from his throat.

"Get a guard. Now." Tino nodded and ran out of the prison, screaming for help.

"Another one..." Roderich murmured, his face a picture of shock and disgust. "This is a prison. How is this happening?"

"I don't know. But I don't like it." Ivan sighed, sitting down on his bed. Nothing he could do until the guard arrived. Which was around five minutes later, his face red and holding Tino by the arm.

"Alright, who was it- What the hell?!"

The guard released Tino and stomped over to Ludwig's corpse, his face contorting in disgust.

"Well, one of you _surely_ went to town on this one, didn't you?" He whistled, nudging the corpse with his finger. "Don't touch him." Ivan growled. The guard raised his eyebrows in a mock surprised fashion. "Touchy, aren't we? Well, I'll have to send somebody to clean up the body. And then one of you will have to go to solitary confinement, won't you?"

"Why don't you let Antonio out now? He couldn't have killed Ludwig!" Matthew said, in as loud a voice that he could muster.

"There's no proof that he didn't kill Luciano and had a conspirator plan to kill Ludwig." The guard shrugged. "Did any of you see anything last night that could give away the perpetrator?"

Matthew raised his hand shyly.

"Yes, Jones?"

Matthew sighed. "Williams!" His eyes watered. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. Rat. Squeal. Tattle. "I heard somebody with a british accent...talking to somebody last night. And a scream."

All faces turned to Arthur, whose face blanched. "W-what? Me? Are you all insane?"

"Come on, Kirkland. Looks like you'll be joining your friend Toni. You won't be able to talk, of course. That's kinda the point of Solitary Confinement."

"Ha ha. You're so bloody funny. We are all in awe of your insufferable wit." Arthur muttered, the guard strolling over to him leisurely. "The rest of you, back in your cells. Now."

Everyone obeyed. Arthur's eyes narrowed as his cell door was unlocked. The guard cuffed his hands behind his back, "In case you get any ideas."

"Arthur...I'm sorry." Matthew bowed his head, tears spilling out of his eye sockets and landing on the concrete floor.

...

"Toni..." Arthur said weakly as the door to the Solitary Confinement cells swung open.

"Lovi? Is that you?" Arthur heard a weak giggle. "No... It's Arthur." The blonde said weakly.

"Lovi, your throat sounds sore. Do you need some water?"

"I'm not Lovi. I'm Arthur!" Arthur raised his voice slightly, earning a cuff to the head from the guard.

"Lovi, what's wrong? You seem sad." Antonio whined Arthur sighed as the guard forced him into the cell next to Antonio.

"You poor thing..." Arthur whispered. He put one hand up to the door, shaking. Would he become insane too? He couldn't talk to anybody, he had no company, he was accused of murder...

"Francis?"

 **Hello, all my wonderful people! Sorry about the long wait, I've been busy... *throws peacemaking cupcakes* School is a bitch...Anyway, I have a few topics to discuss...**

 **1\. The story is almost over! I don't want to end it, because then I'll miss all of you *whines* but I have a few ideas for my next multi-chapter!**

 **2\. I've had some issues come up about the classification of this story. It was originally supposed to be a humorous story, but it took a turn I didn't expect. Should I change it from humor to horror?**

 **3\. Thank you, all of you, for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I wouldn't have made it without all of your support~!**

 **Peace, love, pasta, and beer.**

 **Aria**


	24. Chapter 24

**OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY MY LIFE HAS BEEN REALLY HECTIC RIGHT NOW AND I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO UPDATE IT *grovels for forgiveness* Anyway, finally, it has arrived!**

"Hmm, we should probably wait at least a little bit before moving on to our next victim." Flavio hummed slightly as he continued to work. Oliver shook slightly in his seat, fidgeting itty-bitty as Flavio moved his needle through cloth.

"Who next?" His voice echoed through the almost empty room, broken only by Flavio's tuneless song.

"I don't really know. Pick somebody you like."

 _I want to break his spirits._

"Some...somebody I _like?"_

"You heard me."

 _Crush his sanity._

"B-but won't I feel sad?"

"Why? It's not like they meant anything to you anyways."

 _So he appears to be the killer._

"Who will you pick, Ollie?"

 _To avoid suspicion._

"Um, I guess that little purple-eyed one. Who liked maple syrup? He was...nice."

"Good choice."

 _I will do all I can._

"Will one day be enough?"

"Obviously. Give them a little rest, let the little bugs collect themselves. They aren't like you and me, Ollie darling. They're still...whole, you might put it."

"Then what are we?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're broken."

 _He's so naive._

"What if I don't want to kill him? He's still pure."

"You'll do what I say. I know more than you on this topic, you idiot. I could kill you right now, if it suited me."

"I know."

 _He's getting ideas._

"Move in tomorrow night. You don't want to upset me, do you?"

"Yes, Flavio. I mean, no, Flavio. I mean...I'll do it."

 **...**

Arthur didn't like the straitjacket.

It was too constricting. He couldn't move his arms, clutching himself in a permanent embrace. He wanted Ivan, he wanted Tino, he wanted Roderich, he wanted Matthew.

He wanted Francis.

Antonio was no help, Arthur could hear him in the cell next to his own, chattering away to his little Lovino. The one who didn't exist.

There were others a little ways down, but Arthur didn't dare associate with them. They were probably in Solitary for a reason. _They_ had killed people.

Then again, it wasn't like he hadn't.

...

It was terribly lonely now in Cell Block D.

Ivan missed Arthur's sarcastic comments, Toni's airheaded laughter, Ludwig's angry barking. His friends, the ones he was so happy to have made, were gone. And unless the killer was found, they would keep disappearing. Maybe for good.

He didn't want this. Who would want this?

...

Oliver paced up and down the dormitory, wringing his hands with nervous tension. Allen sat on his bed next to him, watching him lazily.

"I don't want to do this...not with him...it hurts me every time...I don't dare disobey him..."

"You seem str-str-stressed." Allen commented, rocking back and forth on his knees. Oliver shot him a nervous smile. "I'm fine, poppet. Don't worry about me."

"Are you h-hurting inside?" A trail of drool slowly oozed out of Allen's mouth, his eyes glazed over.

"How did you jump to that conclusion?"

"Your eyes. Th-they're pink."

Oliver immediately winced and covered his eyes with his hands, blushing. "I hope they don't notice."

"They won't." Allen's head drooped and he fell back on the pillow, grabbing one of the stuffed toys from the various piles scattered around the room. He clasped it to his chest, sucking on its ear. "Y-you do what's b-best for _you."_ He said solemnly, words garbled and slobbery. Oliver smiled at the comforting statement. Allen really was too cute for words. "Thank you, love. But I don't know if I can do that. Not yet, anyway. I still have a long way to go."

...

Ivan stabbed his spoon into the mushy pile of what was supposed to be jelly. It recoiled as soon as he touched it, swaying back and forth as if propelled by a small breeze. Fluorescent green and smelling like lime disinfectant, the dessert was about as appetizing as if somebody had taken liquid carpet cleaner and added gelatin.

"Urgh, this stuff is disgusting." Roderich tried to pierce the side of his with a plastic butter knife. The knife shattered. "Da, I am not liking this new dessert- is this considered a dessert?"

"Usually." Matthew whispered glumly, chewing a spoonful and wondering when- or if -it would eventually begin to dissolve.

"I can't eat this." Roderich pushed his tray away and sighed. "I'm going to bed hungry."

"It would be advised to eat it. We won't have any food until morning. You want to be full, da? There is only a slight chance of radiation poisoning!"

Roderich looked at Ivan's smile to see if he was joking, but the russian man was deadly serious as he managed to break through the sticky outer membrane of the glowing lump of goo. With a heavy groan, he picked up his spoon again.

"It's not that bad once you get used to it. Rather strange texture, like rock candy and glue at the same time." Matthew mumbled, still chewing the first bite.

"I can't wait for dinner to be over." Roderich said, around a mouthful of radioactive ooze.

...

Oliver bit into a dinner roll and stared at Flavio from across the table. The blonde fashionista was cutting into a side of meat with the texture of plastic, his demeanor calm. The air around them fizzed. There was no talk, just the awkward sound of chewing.

Oliver gently set his utensils down on the plastic tray, causing a small _clink._

"I'm going to go get ready."

"You do that." The italian seemed unfazed as Oliver got up to leave.

"Make sure Allen gets his food, will you?"

"Don't order me around, Ollie. But yes, I will."

"Yes, Flavio. Sorry."

...

Ivan smiled as he watched Tino climb slowly into bed. The platinum blonde had stayed mostly silent through dinner, and he didn't finish his dinner.

"Finny? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." He replied, his smile weak.

"What is being wrong? I do not want you to be scared."

Tino took a deep breath, and then mumbled, "I d-don't want you to d-die. _I_ d-don't want t-to die." Ivan's heart melted, and he said, "Don't worry. I will make sure that you do not die at the hands of this mysterious killer."

"It isn't you, is it?"

"Of course not." Ivan chuckled. "Why would I kill my friends? I am liking all of you. Go to sleep now, little one."

"T-thanks, Ivan. I t-trust you."

...

Oliver shivered as he gently padded down the hallway leading to Cell Block D. The hand holding the knife shook like mad, and he was blinking back tears. Despite this, a large cheshire smile was plainly visible on his face. He turned the corner and pressed himself up against the wall, blending into the shadows. Luckily for him, Matthew's cell was fairly close.

Not very lucky for Mattie, though.

With surprising speed, he tiptoed over to the cell holding the purple-eyed canadian. He was snoring softly, his curl fluttering with every breath he took. He looked so innocent, like a baby bird. Oliver slipped between the bars like a snake coated in oil, his cheeks wet.

"I'm so sorry, Mattie."

Mattie's eyes fluttered open, but he was too slow.

 _The knife goes in, the knife goes out._


	25. Chapter 25

"H-hey, Ivan?"

Roderich's nervous stuttering woke the Russian man from his sleep. "Not another one." He said weakly.

"At least they had the decency to wait a day. They must be a gentleman thief of some sort."

"Who was it this time?" Ivan stood up, clasping and unclasping his fingers. "Matthew."

Ivan looked around the corner to Matthew's cell. He couldn't see much, but what he could see was falling off the bone and drenched in red. It also stank, a metallic scent that penetrated Ivan's senses in the worst way.

"Mattie..." Roderich looked close to tears. "Why him? This isn't fair..."

"God damn it, can't you idiots go one day without killing somebody?" The security guard dispatched to cover today's most recent murder was irritable and bitter, probably because they hadn't caught the killer yet after putting two of the accused in Solitary.

"Apparently not." Roderich hissed, a tear leaking out of his eye socket. "They had to kill the most innocent of us all before they could be satisfied."

"What about Tino?" Ivan sighed. "Anyway, I suppose you have to be searching our cells now, da?"

"You bet I do." Ivan watched the guard walk into Roderich's cell and tear it apart, tearing the sheets off the beds, the pictures off the walls, before admitting there was nothing to hide.

"My turn, da?" The guard unlocked the cell door and made Ivan stand to the side while he removed Natalya's picture from the wall. His nails penetrated the soft canvas and created a large rip in the middle of the sunflower. Ivan stared as the guard tossed the canvas to the side, it falling to the cement floor and skittering under the bed.

"My sister made that for me."

"Boo-hoo. Have her make another one. It's just a painting." The guard turned his attention to the bed, ripping the pillowcases off the pillows and the cover off the duvet.

"Aha, what have we here?"

A large red stain was clearly visible on the underside of the sheet. The guard turned it upside down and shook it vigorously.

"Either you're secretly female or something is definitely wrong here."

A large butcher knife fell out of the large white cover and clattered to the floor. The blade was dripping with red plasma, the handle black rubber.

"This was stolen from the kitchen..." The guard whispered to himself, gingerly picking it up. "Well, another one for solitary, I guess."

"I-Ivan!" Tino had woken up amidst all the searching, and he was staring at Ivan with a betrayed look on his face. "Y-you lied to me."

"No, I didn't, Finny-" But Ivan was cut off by the guard forcing both hands behind his back, an action easier said than done. Tino was crying now, tears leaking out of his unusually colored eyes and landing in small puddles on the cement floor. "You l-lied. Why w-would you l-lie to me?"

"I didn't..." Tino had already turned his back to Ivan, tears running down his cheeks in rivulets. "Come on, no use lying to me, we have the evidence. Come on, big guy."

"I believe you, Ivan." Roderich said softly, but he wasn't heard.

...

"Toni, please, be quiet." Arthur said, trying to calm the crying spaniard down. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it won't!" Toni sobbed again, tears making small wet spots on his formerly stainless white jacket. He couldn't dry his eyes, for his hands were plastered to his sides. "L-Lovi's gone, and he isn't coming back!"

"He'll be back, he'll be back..." Arthur soothed, but it wasn't to any avail.

"He isn't coming back..."

The door creaked open, the hinges rusty and making small squeaky sounds. "We've got another one!" The guard said, forcing Ivan into the dimly lit room.

"Please, this is hurting my back. I can walk into the room myself."

The guard studied Ivan for a minute. "Do we even make straitjackets big enough for you?

...

Oliver sobbed into his sleeves, curled up into a ball on his bed.

"The look on his face...I can't get it out of my head...please, make them go away."

He looked up with determination. "I can't take this anymore."

 ***tears* Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	26. Chapter 26

"Excuse me?"

The guard poked his head in the doorway to his superior's office, nervous expression plastered on his face.

"Yes?"

"Um, we have an inmate who has some info on the murders that have been happening in Cell Block 2."

"Bring him to my office. And _don't_ forget the handcuffs this time."

"Yes, sir."

...

"Oliver Kirkland? The boss wants to see you."

Oliver smiled weakly and stood up, brushing off the blue striped pajama bottoms. Flavio smiled at him, waving a little bit. "Have fun, Ollie! Don't stay too long!"

As soon as Oliver and the guards left, Flavio smiled, and went back to his sewing.

"Well, as long as the suspicion is off my back, I don't feel sorry at all."

...

Oliver took a seat in the hard plastic chair, watching as the guard clasped two iron cuffs around his wrists.

"I'm going to inject some sodium thiopental into you, to make sure that you're telling the truth. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

Without a word, the guard pressed a syringe to his neck, moving the needle right above a particularly vivid vein, and pressed the plunger down, ignoring the squeak of pain from the british inmate.

"So, you said you had some information on these killings?" The boss, as Oliver learned to call him, leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. Oliver's strawberry blonde bangs fell into his eyes as he avoided the iron gaze Boss was sending his way. "Y-yes."

"Well, spill." Boss cocked an eyebrow. "I don't have all the time in the world."

 _I'm going to get in so much trouble..._

"I'm waiting..."

 _Well, best get it over with._

"It was me, but not of my own accord." He blurted out, clasping and unclasping his fingers. Boss leaned forward, suddenly interested.

"What?"

"Please, hear me out." Oliver said quickly. Boss leaned back, still slightly hostile. "Tell me everything, and maybe I won't sentence you to the death penalty."

Oliver took a deep breath. "I've always been very susceptible to outside factors, such as friendship or..." At this, he swallowed. "...love. Or at least, what I thought was love. Once I had a bond that I thought would be forever lasting, I would do anything for them." Oliver shifted a little bit, a dribble of sweat trickling down his temple. "Even kill a person. I was like a trained dog, hopping around on my hind legs trying to please people. I've made this mistake twice, and I don't want to know how many times I might make it again in the future."

"Get to the point." Boss hissed. Oliver swallowed anxiously. "Right. Anyway, after ending up here, my only companion seemed to be a grumpy Italian and a patient with brain damage. Then Flavio showed up, and it was like instant relief. Finally, a friend! Or at least, a friend capable of making conversation for more than two minutes without collapsing or yelling at me to leave and stop annoying him." Oliver chuckled slightly, causing another angry glare to erupt from Boss. "Sorry. Well, I was tickled pink, to say the least. I was happy, I had a friend, food, help. At least, until the week Flavio got angry." Oliver gulped. "I've always been a rather violent chap, that's one of the reasons why I'm here, y'know. It was just the best...way to vent myself after the incident. Flavio knows that, he always knew. Sometimes he helped me. He's always been rather calculating, too. He convinced me that we made a great team, and so, he helped me pick off our first victim. He had the initial kill, but he made me...pretty him up a bit."

"Interesting choice of words." Boss snarkily commented, earning a cheshire smile from Oliver. "Yes, I've always felt that it was my one talent, after baking, of course." His fingers began to intertwine with each other like snakes, his eyes beginning to gain a pink tone. He closed them and shook his head a few times. "N-no, it wasn't a talent, it was a curse. I managed to put it to bed when I got here, but when Flavi arrived, it just woke up again. He took advantage of that, used me like a little puppet. He made me kill Luciano, Ludwig, and..." Oliver gulped again, trying to regain the ability to breath. "...Matthew. I never wanted to, well, my bloodlust did, but that isn't me, it never was me." He took a shaky breath, ignoring Boss' stares. "I got tired of it. If I satisfy this urge, this hunger inside me, if I indulge it, it only grows. It consumes me. I want it to _stop."_

"So, what you're saying is, you weren't in the right state of mind?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Oliver sighed. "But I want you to know something. Flavio is in the right state of mind, he's not insane. He let himself get caught. He's always been such a good actor. He wanted to get revenge on Luciano, that's all he ever wanted."

"Thank you, Oliver." Boss stood up and, surprisingly, went to pat Oliver on the shoulder. "I suppose I have no choice but to believe you. We're going to put Flavio into a more secure prison, perhaps a mental asylum, and get you some help for that mental condition of yours. After all, the point of this prison is to help the inmates."

 _That's bullcrap,_ Oliver thought, but he smiled graciously at the menacing man in front of him. "Thank you, sir. Um, and Allen..." He trailed off, thinking of the red haired man.

"Don't worry about it. This experiment was a failure. I'll get him to some real professional help and he'll be fine. Now, stay here until we take Flavio into custody and call a mental hospital. I don't want you near him at all."

"That's nice of you, sir. Thank you, sir." Oliver fiddled with the cuffs on his wrists; they were really starting to chafe.

"I'm going to go take care of this now. Wait here." Boss unlocked the door and slipped out, beckoning the guard to follow him. Oliver sat there, mulling over the situation in his head.

 _I don't have to live like this any longer..._

...

Arthur was fairly surprised when they unlocked the door to his cell and started to unlock the restraints to his straitjacket.

"What happened?"

"Apparently they caught the perpetrator." The guard said, slipping the white jacket off of Arthur's arms and allowing him to shake them free. "All of you are deemed innocent."

"Who else has died while we were stuck in this hellhole?" Arthur said cynically. "A boy named Matthew." The guard said, oblivious. The news hit Arthur in the gut like a bullet. "O-oh...well then..."

"I am sorry for you. Matthew seemed like a good friend to you." Ivan shook out his arms and "He was like a little brother. We've been in this place the same amount of time, I got to know him so well..." Arthur swallowed and wiped a tear from his eye. "You're crying." "No I'm not!" Arthur said loudly. "My eyes are just being stupid!"

"Sure." Ivan wasn't buying it. "It is okay to cry, Arthur. Everyone has emotions." With that statement, Arthur buried his face in Ivan's jacket, and let the tears slip from his sockets. Years and years of bottled up emotions hidden by an ice-cold exterior came gushing from those emerald orbs, staining the front of Ivan's prison uniform.

"It is not good to pent up all your emotions like that." Ivan said, rubbing circles into Arthur's back.

"I know. I just didn't want to be vulnerable...I thought that if I showed my emotions all the time, people would think I was weak. This is a prison, after all." He coughed, chuckling dryly. Ivan smiled. "Don't worry. I will be here to protect you. If they call you weak, I'll break open their faces."

"Then I'll report you." The guard said, releasing Toni from his cell. The stay in solitary really hadn't helped the mental and physical health of the Spaniard. His brown hair was shaggy and went down to his neck in lifeless curls and split ends, his body was frail and the tan had faded slightly from his skin. The hollows in his cheeks, almost unnoticeable before then, had grown bigger, giving his skin a pasty tint. The life in his eyes had faded to a dull glint, the shimmer gone from them. He was walking in loopy circles, muttering to himself.

"Um, I think we might need to get this one some mental help." Arthur said, not joking. "He's been talking to himself this entire time."

"To my knowledge, we have mental help coming for two people today. I guess he really needs it, so I'll talk to Boss about it." The guard shrugged. "Thanks, I don't want him hurt. Even if he is an idiot at times." Arthur grumbled.

...

"Flavio Vargas?"

Flavio looked up from the magazine he was reading, magenta eyes hidden behind pink lenses. "Yes?"

"We're here to escort you to a mental hospital. We have identified you as the murderer behind the killings of Cell Block D."

Flavio smirked. "Funny joke." He turned back to his reading, not bothering to look at the guards entering the room. "Everybody here knows that Oliver is the killer."

"That is none of your concern." One guard ripped the magazine out of his hands and tossed it to the floor. Another grabbed Flavio's wrists and handcuffed them, metal chafing the delicate skin. Flavio paled.

"W-what is the meaning of this?"

"We have given Oliver sodium thiopental. He told us everything." The second guard said calmly, forcing Flavio to stand. The blonde italian emitted a low growl before getting shakily to his feet, tossing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Well, take me to your pretty little mental hospital. Lock me in a padded room with a straitjacket, that'll surely help me! I'll be back, I'll find a way!"

"Keep telling yourself that." The first guard checked his wristwatch. "The asylum people should be here any minute now."

"Perfect. Our orders were to get him into a private holding cell until the truck comes, and stabilize the lunatic in there." He nodded to the dormitories where Allen was sleeping peacefully. The guard holding Flavio opened the door, grabbed Flavio's shoulders, and firmly escorted him from the nursery. The other headed into the darkness of the dormitory, searching for the bed with the sleeping figure upon it, creeped out by the way there seemed to be no light switches.

"H-Hi."

In relief, the guard turned to see a sleepy Allen, sliding off the bed and rubbing his eyes. "Hey, big guy. I've gotta stay with you for a bit, and then we're gonna move you to a new home, where you're gonna get some help."

"R-real help?"

The guard blinked. "Yeah, real help." Allen's teeth burst into a blinding smile, showing a missing incisor."

"T-thanks. I-I've been waiting for y-you."

...

The first thing Ivan witnessed when he stepped back into the cafeteria was a tight hug from Tino. The finnish boy squeezed the life out of him, blonde hair disheveled and cap askew. "I m-missed you so m-much!" He cried, tears soaking the front of Ivan's (already damp) uniform. "I missed you too, Tino." Ivan replied, wrapping his arms around the slight figure. "They're about to e-explain some things to us." Tino released himself from Ivan and went to stand next to him. "Your english is very good now, have you been practicing?"

"Yes, that n-nice guard helped me sometimes when w-we were alone. I think her n-name was Julia."

Ah. Of course.

"Well, I am being glad that you are getting help. Shh, she's about to speak." Ivan pointed to the woman who was standing at the front of the room.

"Hello! Well, I'm sure all of you wonderful people are looking for some semblance of an explanation, and I'm going to give it to you."

Everybody leaned in to pay attention to the mysterious worker, the one who was going to finally explain this whole mess to them.

"For the last few days, you've been subjected to seeing your friends murdered in cold blood by some mysterious hand. You've had to see the bodies of your cell mates cut up like sides of beef, by some sadistic person who people suspected were your other friends. They were taken to solitary confinement, and you all were left wondering what the heck happened."

"Gee, thanks for the exposition." Arthur muttered, rolling his eyes.

"It was a horrible, horrible thing for anybody to have to go through. Well, the mystery has been solved, as you can tell. We have apprehended the killer, and we can ensure that this will never happen again."

She took a deep breath, and continued her speech.

"The killer was Flavio Vargas, aided by the help of Oliver Kirkland, who was acting against his will. Both have been taken into custody, and will be transferred to a mental hospital as soon as possible, along with the remaining inmates with mental illnesses."

This took everybody by shock, mixed reactions echoing through the cavernous room.

"I knew it. Flavio always seemed suspicious."

"I was not suspecting Oliver to help, he seemed a bit odd, but nothing _that_ serious."

"They b-both seemed nice."

"Flavio was kind of a prick, I'm glad to see him go."

The woman looked at them meaningfully, and they all shut up.

"Anyway, we have reason to notify you that all inhabitants of Cell Block F will be transferred to World Wide Affairs mental hospital to continue their treatment, seeing as custody here failed to take any effect. This extends to patients who are having mental problems that were not an inmate of Cell Block F, specifically your friend and fellow inmate, Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo."

"Toni." Ivan heard Tino whisper.

"You have probably noticed the disturbing lack of inmates in Cell Block D. Not to worry, you will probably be receiving some new 'friends' soon, due to the amount of _idiots_ in this city." The woman rolled her eyes. "I have information that more inmates will be arriving the day after tomorrow, some transfers from a different prison, others just recently admitted."

The woman smiled at them. "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I'm actually kind of glad we're getting more inmates in your category. You've seen so many of your friends die, that you should have the chance to make more."

 _It doesn't work like that, but I would like to meet some new people,_ was the thought on the mind of every inmate as they stood and prepared for lunch.

...

Lili looked up from her crouched position on the floor as somebody unlocked the door, for once in what seemed like a lifetime. She usually got her meals pushed through a slot in the door.

"Why are you here?" She hissed, recoiling at the bright light shining through the doorway.

"You're being moved, dearie. Can you stand up for me so I can put these handcuffs on you?"

Lili complied, letting the lady snap the stupid metal things around her delicate wrists. She didn't know how they found handcuffs this small, locking around her wrists so tight they hurt.

"Where am I going?" She asked, her voice hoarse. "A hospital, a place where you can get help."

 _Help._

"Okay." She said softly. The nurse smiled and ruffled her hair. "Thank you, Lili. It's nice of you to accept help like this instead of kicking up a fuss." Lili was silent, just following the nurse out of the room.

 _Help... would be nice. I was just trying to help Big Brother, and look where it got him..._

 _I want somebody to help me..._

 _ **Nine Years Later~~~**_

Tino was happy.

He had a job, he was speaking english, everybody around him was happy and nice and not convicted of manslaughter.

He could get used to this.

With a smile, he turned back to the cafe's countertop and set down the mug he was polishing.

"Can I take your order?"

...

Arthur had missed being able to visit bookstores.

He was surprised his childhood favorite was still open, an old favorite he had known since birth. Moving back to England had been a hard choice to make, but he felt like it was the right choice. America just held too many bad memories for him. He hadn't liked the new inmates very much, the ones after losing Matthew. An upbeat man named Matthias who had decapitated his sweetheart with an axe, a sweet girl named Emma who had picked off her brother, and a crossdressing male called Feliks who somebody had attempted to sexually assault, thinking he was a woman, and he fought back "in self defense". Both men had landed in jail, but Feliks with a lighter sentence, much to Arthur's joy.

 _Well, all of that was in the past, and I'm free now,_ Arthur thought, taking a sip of his tea.

...

Roderich's first thought when he got home was _I need to find a piano._

He was lucky that he still owned his house, actually. A couple of the house staff weren't scared away by his, um, _accident,_ and they had been taking care of it for when their 'master' returned.

He felt a lot better as soon as his fingers touched the ivory keys, letting forth a melody he had never heard before, but when the music reached his ears, all tension melted away.

He could resume his normal life. He could forget everything that happened in the prison.

He could forget that Toni died in that mental hospital, due to stress and improper diagnosis of his illness.

He could forget the terrified look on Ludwig's face, his last expression one of fear and horror.

He could forget the bloodstains that matted Elizaveta's hair as he dragged her corpse to the nearest graveyard.

He could forget all of that. Right?

...

The taxi ride back to the city had been long and boring, but it was worth it. Ivan took a deep breath. The air smelled clean, an improvement over the stuffy air of the prison. He took another, and another, smelling all the wonderful smells and seeing all the sights of the city that he missed. He could get used to America, the _real_ America. Not that concrete death trap, but the cities and sights and sounds. After taking his last deep breath, he took his first step as a free man.

And immediately bumped into somebody. Smooth.

"Aiyah, I'm sorry." The man stumbled to his feet, scrambling to pick up the books he was carrying. Ivan bent down to help him.

"Oh, thank you." The man's brown eyes met Ivan's violet ones.

"What's your name? I haven't seen you around here before..."

"Ivan Braginski. You?"

"Y-Yao Wang." The man smiled at him.

"U-um, do you want to get some coffee or something? My treat. I feel like I'd like to get to know you better."

Ivan nodded, also smiling. "That would be lovely, thank you!"

 _This,_ he thought, _could be very interesting._

 **And here we go. It's over. The End. There will be an epilogue chapter, but you can count this as the end of the story.**

 **You can skip over this next part if you want (it's mostly a huge pile of emotions that I've been wanting to throw at people since chapter 1)**

 **I would like to specifically thank a couple of people~**

 **A Broken Imagi-NATION: Oh my gosh, where do I begin? You've helped me this whole time, listened to me ramble, given me ideas, helped me with beta reading, you've basically been my internet big sister since day one. Danke, grazie, merci, all the ways I can say thank you, I want to throw them at you throws huge pile of thank yous**

 **pastaaddict: Thank you, your reviews always make me smile, I always look forward to them, you've cheered me up too many ways to remember! You deserve, like, 500 cookies.**

 **poisonlilie: You've also stuck with me for a very long time, THANK YOU. Your reviews helped me with the story, and made me laugh a bunch of times. Keep being fabulous!**

 **asdfghjkl: You are an amazing human being. Thank you so much. Your reviews made me smile, laugh, experience emotions, THANKS.**

 **Calistrophia: You managed to make me smile and strive to do better all at the same time. THANK YOU throws cookies**

 **topaz3: You offered me new insight and ideas on this story, so thanks for that! I always looked forward to your reviews :3**

 **Also, thanks to every single person that followed, Favorited, and and reviewed this! I thank all of you profusely...**

 **Okay, last order of business! I am about to begin a new story, a special dystopian AU called 'Imperfection', and I hope all of you want to read it! If you don't, that's fine too shameless self promotion**

 **Peace, love, pasta, and beer,**

 **Aria**


	27. Chapter 27

The graveyard the police had chosen was one of the more gloomy choices.

Weeping willow trees, lili-of-the-valley flowers growing wild, and soupy fog that twisted around the tombstones in an eerie fashion would put off most people.

Not the funeral party of five that had arrived that night.

Yao clutched Ivan's arm as the group made their way to the back of the graveyard, polished shoes picking up crumbly dirt from the path. Each man clutched a few small flowers, ranging from Arthur's foxglove to Tino's meadowsweet, Roderich's harebell to Ivan's poppies. There were no tears, tears were for the past. They needed to walk towards the future.

But, there was no shame in remembering.

The graves of the ones they loved were all the way in the back, moss growing on cracked tombstones that most people didn't know exist. Stems cracked and leaked dew as grips tightened, names recently carved into the stones.

 _Alfred F. Jones._

 _I'm sorry, I miss you. I will try harder, I will not fail you. You will never be forgotten._

 _Francis Bonnefoy._

 _I loved you, I love you, I'll miss you. I hope my passion isn't as fleeting as yours._

 _Elizaveta_ _Héderváry._

 _I hope that you're in a better place now, for my tears water the earth below your tombstone._

 _Berwald Oxenstierna._

 _I wish you were here, I miss you more than anything, we could have had a life together._

 _Matthew Williams._

 _A true friend, you were always there for us. We hope you meet with Gilbert in heaven._

 _Ludwig Beilschmidt._

 _You never strayed from the path of loyalty. Feliciano will be glad to have you back._

 _Antonio Fernandez Carriedo._

 _Always smiling, an eternal beacon in our otherwise grey lives. Lovi will forgive you, we promise._

The names went on and on. _Luciano Vargas. Lukas Bondevik. Vash Zwingli. Kiku Honda._

They had lost so much, lost things that could never be replaced. But, as much as they hated to admit it, the world would keep turning, they would keep living, and they would create new things. There would be new laughter, new memories, new experiences.

There could be love.

~~ _Fin~~_

 **** **Sobs And it's over. Really over.**

 **Yeah, I'm sad. I worked so hard on this, and all of you helped me, and now I have nothing to work on...**

 **Just kidding I already have another story up, "Imperfections". You should go check it out. winks**

 **-Aria**


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